Brian Bell

by Carolyn Pennington

Brian Bell, Dental Medicine. Photo by Janine Gelineau

When Brian Bell was a young child, becoming a dentist hardly appealed to him. A career as a firefighter, astronaut, or professional athlete seemed more exciting than following in his father’s footsteps and becoming a general dentist.

But by high school, Bell’s attitude had changed. In fact, whenever his father received an emergency phone call at home from one of his patients, Bell beat his father to the door, with car keys in hand, enthusiastically accompanying him to the office and acting as his assistant.

“I’ll always remember the patients – often with mouths swollen and in terrible pain – who were so gratified and relieved to have their problem taken care of,” says Bell.

After high school, Bell attended Boston College and during summer breaks worked in his father’s dental office. The exposure to day-to-day dentistry convinced him to apply to the UConn dental school, where he has excelled academically and been a leader.

Bell has been elected into the Omicron Kappa Upsilon National Dental Honor Society. He also received the Health Center’s Dr. Gilbert LeVine Mellion and Ruth Berman Mellion Award for academic excellence.

Bell has been a class representative for three years, a clinic team leader, and served as a student member of the dental school’s education council.

As a third-year student, he organized a trip to Belize, where students and faculty provided dental care to underserved children.

He also participated in the Connecticut Mission of Mercy, an event that involves hundreds of Connecticut dental professionals and student volunteers. During a single weekend, the volunteers collectively provide care to more than 1,000 patients.

It was these volunteer efforts, as well as his dental school clinical rotations, that demonstrated to Bell the diversity and allure of general dentistry. That’s why Bell has decided to do a general practice residency at Hartford Hospital, rather than specializing.

“If I specialized, I feel like I would be missing something,” he says. “I like providing comprehensive care to patients – a little bit of everything.”

Adds Bell, “Each day I gain a new appreciation for the opportunities and experiences the field of dentistry will provide me.”

David Blair

by Carolyn Pennington

David Blair, Medicine. Photo by Janine Gelineau

It’s fitting that David Blair has immersed himself in the field of immunology research. The 35-year-old Shelton native has first-hand experience of an immune system gone awry. He grew up with severe allergies and asthma, and has suffered from wheezing and shortness of breath most of his life.

“Since I was two or three years old, it seemed like I was allergic to everything – pollen, ragweed, dust,” says Blair.

Even so, after receiving his undergraduate degree from UConn, studying immunology wasn’t at the top of his list when he decided to come to the Health Center for graduate school. His top choices were cell biology and neuroscience, while immunology ranked at the bottom.

That changed when Blair did a rotation in an immunology lab. “It just clicked – I knew right away that I wanted to stick with immunology,” he says.

“The more I learned about the immune system, the more I was intrigued at what an amazing, intricate biological process it is.”

Blair spent the next five years researching the body’s immune response against microbial infections. He zeroed in on a specific subset of T cells and tried to determine how they differentiate into long-lived memory cells that respond quickly upon infection.

“Our ultimate goal is to better understand some of the basic principles involved,” he says, “which could lead to development of a vaccine or better therapies for fighting infection or, alternatively, inhibiting the response in autoimmune disorders.”

Blair defended his dissertation in December and is currently doing post-doctoral work at New York University School of Medicine in New York City. He hopes ultimately to go into academia, so he can continue doing research but also start teaching and mentoring students.

He notes that it is basic science research that will help lead to much needed cures for diseases such as asthma.

Blair’s own immunological tolerance has increased after years of allergy shots, so he can now enjoy his two favorite pastimes – tennis and mountain biking – nearly inhaler-free.

He is well aware that his research could provide a piece of the puzzle that will some day lead to a vaccine or cure for the increasing number of people being diagnosed with allergies and asthma. Says Blair, “It would be extremely rewarding to see my findings in the lab used clinically to help people live better lives.”

Over a period of several weeks, the Advance is publishing short profiles of some of this year’s graduating students. Those featured were selected from among those recommended by each school and college.