Steve Nelson, MD, 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.
As part of his role, 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."
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, 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 faculty in 1984, ultimately 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. Nelson was appointed dean of the Medical School in 2007 and president of the LSU Healthcare Network in 2009.
"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."