 Carl L. Nelson, M.D. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences |
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Dr. Carl Lee Nelson was a pioneer in the truest form of the word. Nelson, who passed away Jan. 12 after suffering a massive stroke, was one of the nation’s foremost specialists in hip and knee replacement. Chairman of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Nelson developed the first practice in Arkansas dedicated solely to joint replacement surgery. The only Arkansas physician to belong to both the Hip Society and the Knee Society, Nelson became chairman of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery in 1974 and helped the group grow from a faculty and staff of only two into a team of 50 trained professionals that have received national and international recognition for their work. The UAMS Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Program, personally overseen by Nelson, has produced more than 100 highly skilled graduates, specialists in all forms of orthopaedic surgery. Nelson was recognized for his efforts in 2000 with the Carl L. Nelson Endowed Chair in Orthopaedic Surgery, designed to support research in orthopaedic disease and musculoskeletal injuries. The chair was established at UAMS in an effort to continue the standard of excellence demonstrated by Nelson. |
A native of Indiana, Nelson graduated from Purdue University in 1955 and from Indiana University School of Medicine in 1959. Following internships at Los Angeles County General Hospital in Los Angeles, Calif., Nelson completed residencies in general surgery and orthopaedic surgery at The Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Cleveland, Ohio, before serving as a Nuffield Scholar at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Center in Oxford, England, in 1968-69. Certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Nelson received numerous honors, including the Walter Selakovich Outstanding Teaching Award, the Arkansas Caduceus Club’s Distinguished Faculty Award, the Jeanette Wilkins Award from the Musculoskeletal Infection Society and was recognized as one of the "Best Doctors In America" in 2002 and by Town & Country Magazine as one of the "Best Medical Specialists in the U.S.A." Nelson is survived by his wife, Mindy; his sons, Eric and Jason; and his daughters, Kristine and Kitty. Memorials to Dr. Nelson may be made to the Carl L. Nelson Musculoskelatal Institute, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, UAMS. |