Legacy of Excellence Digital Flipbook

LEGACY OF EXCELLENCE

part-time in his office while completing undergraduate education. “With these influences, I set a goal to apply to medical school in the belief that it would raise the bar for me academically regardless of whether or not I was accepted. I loved athletics, and I confess my initial interest in medicine was to be an orthopedic surgeon.” He proceeded with his plan to major in Business and Finance while adding the required pre-med courses and apply to medical school but have a back-up option in case he wasn’t accepted. The double agenda motivated him to work hard, and he graduated with honors and scored well on the MCAT examination. By then his fiancé was graduating in nursing, and his work in the orthopedic office had convinced him that a medical career was what he wanted. And he had a big decision to make—accept an offer to attend medical school at a prestigious New York institution or stay close to home, near extended family, and attend the University of Utah, which was located at the center of a broad geographic area where it dominated the medical field. His friend in orthopedics, noting the positives of each, pointed out that he would have far greater exposure and a more robust experience by actually providing healthcare in Utah. He accepted a position in the class of 1979 at the University of Utah School of Medicine. Medical School and an Adjustment Once in medical school, Dr. Nielsen found that the scope of opportunities for study, specialization, and professional direction seemed endless, and he related finding his first two years both rewarding and engrossing. Then in his third year, he was faced with filling a hole in his schedule with an elective clinical rotation and as good fortune would have it, otolaryngology was available. Prior to that time, he had never considered otolaryngology, knew the true breadth of the specialty, or even how to pronounce it. In that department, he met someone who truly challenged him, the young energetic otolaryngology department chair at the University of Utah, James L. Parkin, MD, a respected Academy member. Based on his love for the specialty and desire to attract the best students, Dr. Parkin dared the student to find another specialty with a broader area of expertise in diagnosing and treating common human ailments than otolaryngology. He also pointed out the vast number of professional opportunities available in

the specialty that was expanding rapidly at that time.

The four weeks he spent on that rotation proved the chair’s thesis and “set the hook” for him to be an otolaryngologist. “I had to admit he was right. I fell in love with the specialty – its broad scope, male and female, young and old, the anatomy and physiology of all the senses, the need for robust knowledge of head and neck anatomy and function, and to my great surprise, the large number of subspecialty interests that could engage one.” One realization further excited him. “I also discovered in the practice lab that not everyone has the patience or skill to use and operate with a microscope, and after discovering my ability and love for this new field, I was determined to change my track.” He would aim for an otolaryngologist residency. “It’s like building ships in a bottle,” he said when recalling his fascination on obtaining this skill. “The head and neck are just so full of anatomy, and it’s really tiny, delicate work—even breathing or sweating is enough to throw you off. Not everybody can do it and I just fell in love with it.” In a 2014 Bulletin article upon his retirement as Executive Vice President and CEO, Dr. Nielsen humorously reminisced to writer, M. Steele Brown, saying, “Funny note, when I first told my attorney father that I had made a new discovery and decided to apply for a residency in otolaryngology, he said, ‘but I thought you were going to be a doctor!’ We later argued about whether or not he was joking, but he admitted he didn’t know what an otolaryngologist was.” During his residency in Utah, Dr. Nielsen had the opportunity to work with a general surgeon, John Dixon, MD, in his lab and was introduced to the use of laser technology in surgery. In that lab, one of the first with laser technology in general surgery, he participated in laser excision of cancer of the nose and oral cavity. Dr. Nielsen was eager to add this tool to his skills. As he neared his residency program’s completion, his interest in laser surgery and otology led him to apply for a fellowship with laser surgery pioneer in ear surgery in Detroit, Michigan, T. Manford McGee, MD, who was using lasers to perform stapedectomy. During his fellowship with Dr. McGee, he was given the task of writing the laser safety manual for Providence Hospital where they performed laser surgery. It proved to be a valuable experience for what was to come later.

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