Dr. Steve Nelson, Chancellor of LSU Health New Orleans, has been a cornerstone of medical leadership in Louisiana since 1984 when he joined the faculty of the medical school at LSU Health New Orleans. In this capacity, Dr. Nelson oversees Louisiana’s largest health university, which includes schools of medicine, nursing, dentistry, public health, allied health, and graduate health studies, which employs nearly 3,500 and which has an annual economic impact approaching $2B.
“Throughout my years at LSU, I have consistently focused on educating future healthcare professionals who practice and serve in Louisiana, promoting the health of our citizens, and facilitating the translation of scientific discovery to the bedside,” says Dr. Nelson.
During his 14 years as Dean of the School of Medicine and two as Interim Chancellor, Dr. Nelson rebuilt LSU Health’s research portfolio, optimized and expanded its academic programs, strengthened its financial health, enhanced its philanthropic and community relationships, instilled a culture of trust and accountability, and obtained significant resources for infrastructure improvements supporting educational, research and clinical missions. In 2024, as the newly appointed Chancellor, Dr. Nelson has already led the launch of LSU Health New Orleans’ 2028 strategic plan.
“As a people-centered, health-focused organization at LSU Health New Orleans, we focus our research purposefully with the goal to impact the unique health issues prevalent in our own state,” says Dr. Nelson.
Dr. Nelson is leading the charge to transform education and training to better reflect new knowledge and innovative teaching models. He has led two successful reaccreditation renewals for LSU School of Medicine during his tenure as Dean, the first of which was only two years after Hurricane Katrina. With his leadership, LSU continues its focus on wellness, prevention, chronic disease management, and finding ways to deliver the right care at the right place at the right time. To accomplish these goals, he launched the Institute on Biomedical Education and Innovation to better inform and train the next generation of healthcare providers.
Another one of Dr. Nelson’s goals is for LSU Health New Orleans to be awarded a Cancer Center Support Grant (CCSG) from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and become recognized as an NCI-designated Cancer Center.
“Louisiana is one of only a few states with an extremely high cancer incidence that lacks an NCI-designated Cancer Center. NCI Cancer Centers provide the highest quality of patient care and conduct research that advances the next cure,” says Dr. Nelson.
To achieve this goal, LSU Health New Orleans has already garnered exceptional institutional, political, and community support. Together, LCMC and LSU Health have committed over $100 million toward this goal and operate the LSU LCMC Health Cancer Center. In addition to positively impacting the health of patients and communities, achieving the NCI-designation will contribute billions to the regional economy and create thousands of jobs.
Leader Tip
At LSU Health New Orleans, we focus our research purposefully with the goal to impact the unique health issues prevalent in our own state.
