Dr. Nelson joined the VCU faculty in 2016. She is a general pediatrician and child health services researcher with an interest in early childhood development, screening for developmental and behavioral concerns and promoting healthy development for children living in vulnerable circumstances. Dr. Nelson is a graduate of Wellesley College, Harvard Medical School, and the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program at UCLA. Prior to medical school she was a bilingual school teacher in New York City, and after medical school completed training in pediatrics in the inaugural year of UCSF's Pediatric Leadership for the Underserved (PLUS) residency program. Dr. Nelson is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Academic Pediatrics Association.
Dr. Nelson serves as Early Childhood Champion for the Virginia Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and is a member of several statewide and regional boards that serve young children, including Virginia Early Childhood Foundation and Reach out and Read.
