Laura Nelson

Bio

Dr. Laura Nelson serves as the Associate Vice Provost for Academic Personnel and Policy. Before coming to the Office for Faculty Excellence, Dr. Nelson served for seven years as the Associate Dean and Director for Academic Affairs at the College of Veterinary Medicine.  She is an Associate Professor of Small Animal Surgery in the Department of Clinical Sciences. In the 2023-24 academic year, she completed a faculty fellowship with the OFE focused on characterizing and supporting faculty well-being through education, community-building, and policy development.    

In her role as associate dean at the CVM, she worked to support CVM faculty and staff development in educational best practices, leading to the formation of the CVM Academy of Educators and the Southeastern Veterinary Education Consortium. These efforts, in turn, have driven the current redevelopment of the DVM curriculum to a more integrated, competency-based format. As a clinical skills and surgery instructor, Dr. Nelson has been the recipient of multiple teaching awards, including selection as the DVM Class of 2021 and Class of 2022 Invited Oath and Hooding Speaker and the 2021 Zoetis Distinguished Veterinary Teacher Award. 

Dr. Nelson is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons, a Distinguished Veterinary Educator in the Academy of Veterinary Education, and a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association. Dr. Nelson received her undergraduate and DVM degrees at The Ohio State University.  After a one year small animal internship at Michigan State University, she returned to OSU to complete a residency and masters degree in small animal surgery.  She then returned to MSU as a member of the small animal soft tissue surgery faculty.  While at MSU, she completed the competitive Lilly Teaching Fellowship and earned a graduate certificate in Higher Adult and Lifelong Education from the MSU College of Education.