Bellanirys Acosta Arias, MD

Bella Acosta Arias, MD, is an assistant professor of psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine. She joined the school as a research scholar. She also worked at the VA’s Neuropsychiatry Learning-Based Recovery Center, where she conducted neuropsychological testing and contributed to research on cognitive training for geriatric and addiction populations.

Dr. Acosta’s professional interests center on human rights and ethics in psychiatry. She has delivered presentations on the intersection of psychiatry and the law, which inspired her to pursue a fellowship in forensic psychiatry at the University of Colorado. She has also participated in multiple national conferences, presenting on ethical issues arising from emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI).

Dr. Acosta received her medical degree from Universidad Iberoamericana (UNIBE) in her native Dominican Republic and completed her residency at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. After medical school, she spent several years working as a general physician in underserved communities across the Dominican Republic.