Dr. Paul William Nelson

Paul William Nelson, MD, FACS (8/29/1952 -11/22/2023 ) died this week following a battle with Alzheimer’s disease.

A well-respected transplant surgeon, Dr. Nelson devoted his life to medicine. After graduating from Dartmouth College, he attended medical school at the University of Kansas, where he first felt called to surgery. He completed his internship and residency at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, then a fellowship in organ transplantation with Mass General Hospital/Harvard University.

After learning from some of the pioneers of transplantation, Dr. Nelson returned to his hometown of Kansas City, spending the next few decades at St. Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City. He held many positions at the hospital and served as president of the Midwest Transplant Network. He also trained many successful surgical residents through the University of Missouri-Kansas City and other institutions.

In his later years, Dr. Nelson launched new surgical residency programs in Indianapolis, Las Vegas, and Miami.

Dr. Nelson was preceded in death by his mother, Margaret Nelson, his father, Radford Nelson and his brother, Mark Nelson.

Dr. Nelson is survived by his children Andrew, Erin, Jennifer, Kenny, Amy, and Sarah, as well as grandchildren August, Lewis, Mila, Emma, Lucas, and Radford. They invite those who grieve him to commemorate through a charitable donation to the Midwest Transplant Network or by registering to be an organ and tissue donor.