Candidate for 2025 Area 6 Trustee

Biography

Dr. Nelson is a Past Speaker of the APA Assembly, a Distinguished Life Fellow of the APA, and a Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. Dr. Nelson was an APA Assembly representative for more than 10 years, served as Vice Chair of the APA Joint Reference Committee, and served on the APA Board of Trustees where he Co-Chaired or worked in several workgroups. Dr. Nelson has also served as President of several local chapters in California and the Northern California Psychiatric Society.

Dr. Nelson has been practicing psychiatry for more than 30 years, caring for a diversity of patients and families in a variety of healthcare settings. He is a Past Chair of Psychiatry at Marin General Hospital, where he served as Medical Director for Outpatient Behavioral Health Services and developed Consultation/Liaison and Emergency Psychiatry Services. He is currently the Medical Director of La Cheim Behavioral Health Services in Oakland, CA, which he helped cofound in 1995, and maintains an office practice in Marin County.

Previously, Dr. Nelson worked in public and community psychiatry, where he incorporated technology in assisting marginalized persons to access psychiatric services. As the Medical Director of the Brinton Psychiatric Homeless Project in San Francisco, he established city-wide social and legal service collaborations to assist homeless persons in accessing housing, mental healthcare, and other entitlements. He developed a first-of-its-kind mobile electronic health record and pioneered electronic prescribing to deliver psychiatric services to persons at campsites and shelters. He also established psychiatric services for medically indigent persons at Bay Area Catholic Charities and consulted to several Bay Area clinics, including the Haight-Ashbury Free Clinic, Glide Memorial Church, Saint Anthony's Center, Mission Drop-In Center, Tenderloin Drop-In Center, Caduceus Outreach Services, and the Homeless Advocacy Project of San Francisco. Dr. Nelson served as a Medical Officer in the U.S. Air Force, cared for veterans through the VA Medical System, and treated mentally ill incarcerated persons as Medical Director for the Sacramento County Jails. Dr. Nelson has been an advocate for access to psychiatric care for marginalized persons with mental illness, serving as the governor’s psychiatrist appointee to the California Mental Health Planning Council.

Dr. Nelson has published several newsletter and journal articles and has presented several talks to colleagues, mental health advocates, and consumer groups. Many of his talks have focused on navigating the labyrinth of healthcare systems and improving access to care. Dr. Nelson has previously held teaching appointments with UC Davis, UC San Francisco, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Education

• Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, University of Pennsylvania
• Doctor of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
• Categorical Internship in Medicine/Psychiatry, Hillside Hospital/Long Island Jewish Medical Center
• Psychiatry Residency, Hillside Hospital Division of Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Awards and Honors

• Psi Chi Psychology Honor Society
• US Air Force Health Professions Scholarship Award recipient
• US Air Force Commendation Medal
• Janssen Clinical Scholarship Award
• Voted Best Psychiatrist in Marin County 2017 and 2018
• Albert Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award
• Meritorious Service Award from Northern California Psychiatric Society