LSU Announces Dr. Steve Nelson as Chancellor of LSU Health New Orleans
March 7, 2024Dr. Steve Nelson will serve as Chancellor of LSU Health New Orleans, pending a vote by the LSU Board of Supervisors. He has served as Interim Chancellor since fall 2021.
As part of his role, Dr. Nelson will oversee completion of the center's 10-year reaccreditation
review cycle, a rigorous 18-month process designed to reflect the excellence of the
program.
"We are grateful to Dr. Nelson for shepherding the LSU Health Sciences Center through
this arduous but critically important process," said William F. Tate IV, LSU President.
"His institutional knowledge and dedication to the center will no doubt lead to a
positive outcome."
Dr. Nelson’s career spans decades of progressively more senior academic medical leadership
positions while consistently maintaining significant National Institutes of Health
(NIH) funding, caring for critically ill patients, training hundreds of future healthcare
professionals, and advancing healthcare policy to ensure optimal care for citizens
across Louisiana.
After graduating with honors from the State University of New York at Stony Brook,
Dr. Nelson earned his medical degree as a University Scholar at McGill University.
At the Johns Hopkins Hospital, he completed his residency in Internal Medicine along
with a Clinical Fellowship in Pulmonary/Critical Care Medicine and a Research Fellowship
in Pulmonary Medicine.
Dr. Nelson joined the faculty in 1984 and rapidly rose through the ranks, becoming
Professor of Medicine in 1994 and the John H. Seabury Professor of Medicine in 1995.
He served as Vice Chair of Research in the Department of Medicine and in 2005 was
named Chief of the Section of Pulmonary/Critical Care Medicine. Dr. Nelson was appointed
Dean of the Medical School in 2007 and President of the LSU Healthcare Network in
2009.
Dr. Nelson has been a National Science Foundation/National Institutes of Health funded
investigator his entire academic career with more than $45 million in extramural funding.
He has authored or co-authored over 250 peer-reviewed journal papers, seven books/monographs
and 30 book chapters.
Dr. Nelson's honors include membership in Alpha Omega Alpha (the medical honor society)
and Delta Omega (the public health honor society) along with inclusion in multiple
volumes of Best Doctors in America, Guide to America's Top Physicians, and New Orleans
Magazine's Top Doctors. He was recognized in 2006 by the American College of Chest
Physicians with its annual Edward C. Rosenow, Ill Honor Lecture Award for outstanding
contributions to mentorship and training of chest physicians. In 2019, Dr. Nelson
received the prestigious Spirit of Charity Award in recognition of his significant
medical contributions and compassionate care cultivated through years of practice
at Charity Hospital. He is a Diplomate of the National Board of Medical Examiners,
the American Board of Internal Medicine, and the American Board of Internal Medicine
in Pulmonary Disease.
"Throughout my years at LSU, I have focused on educating the future healthcare professionals
who will practice and serve in Louisiana, promoting the health of our citizens, and
facilitating the translation of scientific discovery to the bedside. I am grateful
that President Tate has entrusted me with the opportunity to continue to build on
the successes of this exceptional institution."