David Bell

Dr. David Bell is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Kinesiology and Orthopedics and Rehabilitation at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. He serves as Director of the Wisconsin Injury in Sport Laboratory. His research focuses on musculoskeletal injury risk factors, particularly sport specialization’s impact on youth athletes. He holds a PhD from UNC Chapel Hill and a master’s from the University of Virginia. His work has been funded by the National Athletic Trainers’ Association, American Medical Society for Sports Medicine, and American College of Sports Medicine.

Key awards include the 2017 New Investigator of the Year and 2017 STOP Sports Injuries Award for best youth injury prevention paper. He authored the NATA’s 2019 official statement on sport specialization and edited a 2019 Journal of Athletic Training special issue on the topic. He currently holds a 2030 Impact Fellowship (2020–2025) from the UW-Madison School of Education.

His research spans injury epidemiology, sport participation trends, and clinical practice improvements. Recent studies address opioid use after surgery, psychosocial impacts of sport specialization, and socioeconomic factors in youth sports access. He collaborates with athletic trainers nationwide to improve injury prevention strategies and healthcare equity in sports.