News
Dr. Steve Nelson to Lead LSU Health New Orleans
NEW ORLEANS — Dr. 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 the fall of 2021.
Nelson will oversee completion of the center’s 10-year reaccreditation review cycle, an 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.”
After graduating with honors from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, 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.
Nelson joined the LSU 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. He was appointed dean of the medical school in 2007 and president of the LSU Healthcare Network in 2009.
Nelson has been a National Science Foundation/National Institutes of Health-funded investigator his entire academic career. He has received 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.
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, Nelson received the 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,” said Nelson. “I am grateful that President Tate has entrusted me with the opportunity to continue to build on the successes of this exceptional institution.”
