Melissa Byrne Nelson

Melissa Byrne Nelson earned her bachelor of science  from Virginia Tech in 1992. While at Virginia Tech, she was elected president of her class and president of the Student Government Association. She earned her doctor of medicine from the Medical College of Virginia at Virginia Commonwealth University.

As a medical student, she served as the president of the Student Government Association and a student member of the Board of Visitors at VCU. Nelson completed her residency at Cornell University Medical Center at the New York Presbyterian Hospital.

She also pursued advanced training in developmental and behavioral pediatrics at Albert Einstein University and served on the faculty at New York Presbyterian Hospital and the Hospital for Special Surgery. Nelson is currently at Summit Emotional Health in Richmond, and has been voted by her peers a “Top Doc” by Richmond Magazine multiple times.

She currently serves as the vice chair on the Virginia State Board of Health and as the Walter Bundy Professor at the Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU. She previously served on the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors and the VCU-MCV Alumni Association Board. She has served on the Governor’s Department of Health PANDAS/PANS Advisory Council.

Nelson was a leader of PACKids, advocating for the creation of a free-standing children’s hospital in Richmond. For this work, she was named Outstanding Woman for Health and Science of 2015 by the Richmond YWCA and a 2015 Person of the Year honoree by the Richmond Times Dispatch. Nelson continues to advocate for children and serves on the board for Child Savers and as an advisor to the Faison Center for Autism.