John C. Nelson Named 2003 Alumnus of the Year

John C. Nelson Named 2003 Alumnus of the Year

Utah State alumnus, John C. Nelson, M.D., was recently named president-elect of the American Medical Association (AMA) Board of Trustees. The prominent Salt Lake City obstetrician and gynecologist is expected to become president of the organization next year.

Dr. Nelson has been instrumental locally and nationally in addressing domestic violence and child abuse. He was invited by the AMA Alliance to act as a spokesperson for the "Stop America's Violence Everywhere" (SAVE) campaign, and assisted the American College of Emergency Physicians in developing guidelines to evaluate sexual assault victims.

In addition to his leadership roles with the AMA, Dr. Nelson has served as president of the Utah Medical Association and Salt Lake County Medical Society. An active advocate on the medical liability reform front, Dr. Nelson continues his private practice and has active privileges at two Salt Lake City hospitals. 

As president-elect, Nelson said the top issues he hopes to address are improving Medicare for senior citizens, providing health care for 41 million uninsured Americans and mitigating the recent maelstrom of malpractice lawsuits. 

Nelson graduated with Utah State's class of 1965 in biology, and Dr. Tom Bahler was his pre-med advisor. He was a member of Alpha Epsilon Delta, the honorary pre-med fraternity. A student during the same era as Merlin Olsen (Merlin was a senior when John was a freshman), Dr. Nelson said he looks back on his days in Logan fondly.

For his years of exemplary dedication to the health and well being of the citizens of Utah, and his outstanding service to his profession, the Utah State University Alumni Association is proud to recognize Dr. John C. Nelson as the 2003 Alumnus of the Year.