Dr. Douglas Nelson graduated summa cum laude from the University of Minnesota in 1983 with a degree in biochemistry. After entering medical school he was elected to the national medical honor society Alpha Omega Alpha in 1986, and received his medical degree from the University of Minnesota in 1987. His internship, residency and specialty training in gastroenterology were also completed at the University of Minnesota. Since then, Dr. Nelson has been a staff gastroenterologist at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center for 15 years, and was promoted to Professor of Medicine at the University of Minnesota in 2005.
Dr. Nelson is a Fellow of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) and the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA). He was elected Councilor on the ASGE Governing Board, and received the Society's Distinguished Service Award in 2005. He is also a member of the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) and is a past-President of the Upper Midwest Regional Endoscopy Society. He has served as a consultant to the FDA's Advisory Panel on Gastroenterology and Urology Devices since 2008. Dr. Nelson has authored over 115 papers and textbook chapters dealing with gastrointestinal disorders, and has lectured extensively nationally and internationally. He has directed and regularly participates in national courses teaching state-of-the-art endoscopy techniques. He has been listed in Who's Who, Guide to America's Top Gastroenterologists, and Best of the US: Gastroenterology.