Dr. David Bell, MD, MPH is a doctor that specializes in adolescent and young adult medicine at Columbia University Medical Center/New York-Presbyterian Hospitals. In this article, Dr. Bell talks about what inspired him to study young men's health.

Q: How did you become interested in young men's health and working at the Young Men's Clinic in Harlem?

A: Throughout my life, I noticed that young men are being left out of the picture in many areas of health. Young men often stop going to or do not go to the doctor's office because they don't feel comfortable enough to have open discussions about their health there. I realized that having a place where young men can open up is an important part of taking good care of their health. I am glad to be a physician at the Young Men's Clinic in Upper Manhattan/Washington Heights where these open conversations happen.

Q: Why do you think many young men aren't going to see the doctor as much as they should?

A: In our current medical system, a real problem is that there are very few guidelines for what should be discussed with young men at a doctor's visit. Young men usually want to talk about sex, while many doctors are still very uncomfortable talking about sex and reproductive health with their male patients. Sex is easier to discuss with women because it can be tied to physiological topics such as menstrual cycles (periods), pregnancy, and using birth control. With young men, doctors have to deal with the topic of sex directly, which is uncomfortable for many doctors.