Brett D Nelson, MD, MPH

Brett D. Nelson, MD, MPH, DTM&H is a newborn hospitalist, global health faculty, and Professor at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. In the Division of Newborn Medicine, he serves as the Director of Clinical Research and Director of Academics, supporting faculty research, development, and promotions.

Dr. Nelson completed his medical and public health degrees at Johns Hopkins, a Diploma in Tropical Medicine at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, pediatric residency at Boston Children's Hospital, and a fellowship in pediatric global health at Mass General for Children. He has been involved in clinical care, medical education, and program management in dozens of countries on all seven continents while working for organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control, Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), UNICEF, International Red Cross and Red Crescent, Physicians for Human Rights, and the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative. His career interests focus on addressing the needs of vulnerable populations, particularly newborns, children, and mothers affected by extreme poverty, conflict, or disaster. Dr. Nelson served as Liberia's Senior Pediatrician and as the Chair of Pediatrics and Newborn Medicine for the country's sole teaching hospital. He has been heavily involved in leading large-scale, country-level newborn and child health programs in several countries in East and West Africa and is a Fulbright U.S. Global Scholar for the U.S. State Department.

Dr. Nelson directs Harvard Medical School's course on clinical global health and serves as Editor of a leading textbook on this topic, Essential Clinical Global Health. In recognition of his global leadership, Dr. Nelson received Johns Hopkins' 2019 Distinguished Alumni Award and Weber State University's 2023 Distinguished Alumni Award.

Education & Training

• Fellowship: Massachusetts General Hospital, Pediatrics, 2009
• Internship: London School of Hygiene and Tropical medicine, Tropical Medicine and Travel Medicine, 2009
• Residency: Boston Children's Hospital (for MD/DO), Pediatrics, 2008
• Medical Education: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 2005

Board Certifications

• Pediatrics, American Board of Pediatrics

Languages Spoken

• Serbian
• Croatian
• Bosnian
• English

Age Group Treated

• Pediatrics