Faculty

Faculty180 - Vita and Individual Profile Data Sheet

Heidi M Nelson, PT, DSc, DPT, PCS

Fall 1980 - Fall 2120

[email protected]

Current Position

Position: Dean, College of Health Professions

Biography

Dr. Heidi Nelson joined SCU in March 2024 as the inaugural Dean of College of Health Professions. Previously, she served as an Associate Dean for Graduate and Experiential Learning at a private, liberal arts intsitution where she doubled the number of graduate program offerings. Prior to that work, she was the founding Director of Clinical Education for a new doctor of physical therapy program. She has a doctor of physical therapy degree, a board certified specialization in pediatric physical therapy, and a doctor of science degree in rehabilitation sciences, with a specialization in pediatric sciences. Her research is in areas of social emotional development in toddlers with chronic medical conditions and post traumatic stress disorder in parents of children with medical conditions. 

Degrees

2019

D.Sc., Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United StatesDissertation: Social emotional development in toddlers with gastrointestinal dysfunction and their parents' anxiety levels

2011

D.P.T., University of South Dakota, Vermillion, South Dakota, United States

2008

B.Sc., Psychology, South Dakota State University, Brookings, South Dakota, United States

Professional Licensures (Healthcare)

PT, Wisconsin, United States, 12076-24, Active, 2012, February 2025

Post-Graduate Training

Type: Residency, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Residency, Physical Therapy - Pediatrics, Omaha, Nebraska, United States, July 2011, June 2012

Type: Fellowship, University of Nebraska Medical Center - Munroe Meyer Institute, Fellowship, Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities Fellowship, Omaha, Nebraska, United States, July 2011, June 2012