Jennifer Solms Nelson, MD

Cardiothoracic Surgeon

Nemours Children's Hospital, Florida 6535 Nemours Parkway Orlando, FL 32827

Biography

Dr. Jennifer Nelson is the Director of Research and a congenital heart surgeon at Nemours Children's Health, Orlando, FL. She is also a Professor of Surgery at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine. Her research interests relate to patient outcomes after congenital heart surgery, risk assessment for children and adults undergoing cardiac surgery, and the epigenetics of congenital heart disease. Dr. Nelson holds several international professional society leadership positions and recently served for six years as the Chair of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) Workforce on the Surgical Treatment of Adults with Congenital Heart Disease. During that time, she led the development of the STS Adult Congenital Heart Disease mortality risk model and the STS clinical registry for adults with congenital heart disease undergoing any type of cardiac surgery. She is the former Resident Director to the STS Board of Directors, and currently serves on the Workforce for National Databases as the adult congenital heart disease lead. She is the current Chair of the STS Congenital Access and Publications Committee and participates on several international clinical guidelines writing groups. Most recently, she served as the congenital program chair for the Southern Thoracic Surgical Association's 71st annual meeting in November 2024.

Fellowship

  • Congenital Cardiac Surgery - University of Michigan Health System, 2013
  • Thoracic Surgery - University of Michigan Health System, 2012

Residency

  • General Surgery - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2010

Education

  • M.S. - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2016
  • M.D. - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2005

Board Certifications

  • American Board of Surgery/Thoracic Cardiac Surgery

  • Lifetime Management of Adolescents and Young Adults with Congenital Aortic Valve Disease; Annals of Thoracic Surgery; (2025).

    View Full Publication
  • Accounting for Physiologic Severity in Risk Prediction: ACAP-tivating Topic; Annals of Thoracic Surgery; (2024).

    View Full Publication
  • A 1-Day-Old Girl With Infantile Hemangioma and Sternal Cleft; Chest; (2024).

    View Full Publication
  • Commentary: More is more?; Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery; (2024).

    View Full Publication
  • Corrigendum to “Aortic arch atresia in Williams syndrome” [Prog Pediatr Cardiol 65 (2022) 101510] (Progress in Pediatric Cardiology (2022) 65, (S1058981322000303), (10.1016/j.ppedcard.2022.101510)); Progress in Pediatric Cardiology; (2024).

    View Full Publication
  • Corrigendum to “Preoperative imaging and surgical repair of a coronary sinus septal defect: A case report” [Prog Pediatr Cardiol 65 (2022) 101513] (Progress in Pediatric Cardiology (2022) 65, (S1058981322000339), (10.1016/j.ppedcard.2022.101513)); Progress in Pediatric Cardiology; (2024).

    View Full Publication
  • Dexmedetomidine Withdrawal Syndrome in Children in the PICU: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis; Pediatric Critical Care Medicine; (2024).

    View Full Publication
  • Idiopathic Pericardial Effusions in Children: Workup and Final Diagnoses; Pediatric Cardiology; (2024).

    View Full Publication
  • Meta-analysis reveals differential gene expression in tetralogy of Fallot versus controls; Birth Defects Research; (2024).

    View Full Publication
  • The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Clinical Practice Guidelines on the Management of Neonates and Infants With Coarctation; Annals of Thoracic Surgery; (2024).

    View Full Publication
  • Commentary: Gender differences in payments to cardiothoracic surgeons are unacceptable; European Journal of Cardio-thoracic Surgery; (2023).

    View Full Publication
  • Commentary: Goldi-Ross and the 3 VSRRs; Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery; (2023).

    View Full Publication
  • Development of a Novel Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Congenital Mortality Risk Model; Annals of Thoracic Surgery; (2023).

    View Full Publication
  • Educating Surgeons to Construct Valved Conduits: What Does It Take to Achieve Reproducible Results?; Annals of Thoracic Surgery; (2023).

    View Full Publication
  • G Is for Geometric: A G-Chart Primer for Surgeons; Annals of Thoracic Surgery; (2023).

    View Full Publication
  • The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Congenital Heart Surgery Database: 2022 Update on Outcomes and Research; Annals of Thoracic Surgery; (2023).

    View Full Publication
  • Trends in Pulmonary Valve Replacement; Seminars in Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery; (2023).

    View Full Publication
  • Pediatric extracorporeal life support for refractory status asthmaticus: ELSO Registry trends from the past decade; Artificial Organs; (2023).

    View Full Publication
  • PTFE Valved Conduits: Moving From Why? to Why Not?; Annals of Thoracic Surgery; (2023).

    View Full Publication
  • Tetralogy of Fallot Associated With Right Aortic Arch and Isolated Left Brachiocephalic Artery; World Journal for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery; (2023).

    View Full Publication
  • Assessment of Current Society of Thoracic Surgeons Data Elements for Adults With Congenital Heart Disease; Annals of Thoracic Surgery; (2022).

    View Full Publication
  • Association of atrial septal fenestration with outcomes after atrioventricular septal defect repair; Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery; (2022).

    View Full Publication
  • A Minimal Opioid Postoperative Management Protocol in Congenital Cardiac Surgery: Safe and Effective; Seminars in Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery; (2022).

    View Full Publication
  • Aortic arch atresia in Williams syndrome; Progress in Pediatric Cardiology; (2022).

    View Full Publication
  • Comparison of DNA methylation patterns across tissue types in infants with tetralogy of Fallot; Birth Defects Research; (2022).

    View Full Publication
  • Concurrent double aortic arch and circumflex aorta repair in a symptomatic child: a case report; Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery; (2022).

    View Full Publication
  • Time-Related Risk of Pulmonary Conduit Re-replacement: A Congenital Heart Surgeons' Society Study; Annals of Thoracic Surgery; (2022).

    View Full Publication
  • Capturing Adult Congenital Heart Disease: Framework for Development of an Adult Congenital Heart Disease Mortality Risk Model; Annals of Thoracic Surgery; (2022).

    View Full Publication
  • Preoperative imaging and surgical repair of a coronary sinus septal defect: A case report; Progress in Pediatric Cardiology; (2022).

    View Full Publication
  • Extracorporeal Life Support for Status Asthmaticus: Early Outcomes in Teens and Young Adults; ASAIO Journal; (2022).

    View Full Publication
  • Persistent Double Dorsal Aorta Surrounding Large Neuroenteric Cyst; Annals of Thoracic Surgery; (2022).

    View Full Publication
  • Preparation of children with heart disease for diagnostic and therapeutic procedures requiring anesthesia; Progress in Pediatric Cardiology; (2022).

    View Full Publication
  • Three-Dimensional Modeling Prior to Stage 1 Palliation in a Patient With Heterotaxy Syndrome: Planning for the Future; Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging; (2022).

    View Full Publication
  • Aortic Valve Replacement in Young and Middle-Aged Adults: Current and Potential Roles of TAVR; Annals of Thoracic Surgery; (2021).

    View Full Publication
  • Risk adjustment for cardiac surgery in adults with congenital heart disease: What do we know and what do we need to learn?; European Journal of Cardio-thoracic Surgery; (2021).

    View Full Publication
  • A shifting landscape: Practice patterns and outcomes of cystic fibrosis and non-cystic fibrosis pediatric lung transplantation; Pediatric Transplantation; (2021).

    View Full Publication
  • The American Association for Thoracic Surgery Congenital Cardiac Surgery Working Group 2021 consensus document on a comprehensive perioperative approach to enhanced recovery after pediatric cardiac surgery; Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery; (2021).

    View Full Publication
  • Coronary artery aneurysms as a feature of granulomatosis with polyangiitis; Pediatrics; (2021).

    View Full Publication
  • Good News or Bad News? Considering Physician and Patient Perspectives on Outcomes.; The Annals of thoracic surgery; (2020).

    View Full Publication
  • A 22-Month-Old Girl With 3 Weeks of Dyspnea; Chest; (2020).

    View Full Publication
  • Transesophageal echocardiography in congenital heart surgery: Perioperative considerations; Progress in Pediatric Cardiology; (2020).

    View Full Publication
  • A Systematic Review of Antibiotic Prophylaxis for Delayed Sternal Closure in Children.; World journal for pediatric & congenital heart surgery; (2020).

    View Full Publication
  • Intraoperative echocardiography in congenital heart surgery: What the surgeon wants to know; Progress in Pediatric Cardiology; (2020).

    View Full Publication
  • Commentary: Allografts and pregnancy-Can good statistics lead to mis-conceptions about the relationship?; The Journal of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery; (2019).

    View Full Publication
  • Surgery for Dysphagia Lusoria in Children.; The Annals of thoracic surgery; (2019).

    View Full Publication
  • National Practice Patterns and Early Outcomes of Aortic Valve Replacement in Children and Teens.; The Annals of thoracic surgery; (2019).

    View Full Publication
  • Cardiac venous malformation in a teenager; Cardiology in the Young; (2019).

    View Full Publication
  • Hope should not spring eternal; Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery; (2019).

    View Full Publication
  • Early arrhythmia burden in pediatric cardiac surgery fast-track candidates: Analysis of incidence and risk factors; Progress in Pediatric Cardiology; (2019).

    View Full Publication
  • Coarctation of the aorta; Critical Heart Disease in Infants and Children; (2018).

    View Full Publication
  • Feasibility of a healthcare system-based tetralogy of Fallot patient registry; Cardiology in the Young; (2018).

    View Full Publication
  • Paracorporeal lung devices: Thinking outside the box; Frontiers in Pediatrics; (2018).

    View Full Publication
  • Pediatric ECMO after drowning: Neuroprotective strategies; Progress in Pediatric Cardiology; (2018).

    View Full Publication
  • Regional Differences in Cost and Length of Stay in Neonates with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome; Pediatric Cardiology; (2018).

    View Full Publication
  • Regional differences in right versus left congenital heart disease diagnoses in neonates in the United States; Birth Defects Research; (2018).

    View Full Publication
  • Effect of Concomitant Birth Defects and Genetic Anomalies on Infant Mortality in Tetralogy of Fallot; Birth Defects Research; (2017).

    View Full Publication
  • Early extubation in pediatric heart surgery across a spectrum of case complexity: Impact on hospital length of stay and chest tube days; Progress in Pediatric Cardiology; (2017).

    View Full Publication
  • Evaluation of Explanted CorMatrix Intracardiac Patches in Children With Congenital Heart Disease; Annals of Thoracic Surgery; (2016).

    View Full Publication
  • Geographic distribution of live births with tetralogy of Fallot in North Carolina 2003 to 2012; Birth Defects Research Part A - Clinical and Molecular Teratology; (2016).

    View Full Publication
  • Sex bias in CNS autoimmune disease mediated by androgen control of autoimmune regulator; Nature Communications; (2016).

    View Full Publication
  • Invited commentary; Annals of Thoracic Surgery; (2015).

    View Full Publication
  • Long-term survival and reintervention after the Ross procedure across the pediatric age spectrum; Annals of Thoracic Surgery; (2015).

    View Full Publication
  • Resident Perception of Technical Skills Education and Preparation for Independent Practice; Annals of Thoracic Surgery; (2015).

    View Full Publication
  • Resident perceptions of 2-year versus 3-year cardiothoracic training programs; Annals of Thoracic Surgery; (2015).

    View Full Publication
  • Identical tricuspid ring sizing in simultaneous functional tricuspid and mitral valve repair: A simple and effective strategy; Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery; (2014).

    View Full Publication
  • Tetralogy of fallot; Pediatric and Congenital Cardiology, Cardiac Surgery and Intensive Care; (2014).

    View Full Publication
  • A bright future: Cardiothoracic surgery training in transition; Annals of Thoracic Surgery; (2013).

    View Full Publication
  • Who Is Doing Mitral Valve Surgery in the United States?; Seminars in Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery; (2012).

    View Full Publication
  • Chest pain and progressive shortness of breath in a 60-year-old woman following liver transplantation; Chest; (2011).

    View Full Publication
  • Early brain recurrences are potentially detectable in asymptomatic, early stage lung adenocarcinoma; Clinical Oncology; (2011).

    View Full Publication
  • Modern surgical communication and the practice of surgery.; Bulletin of the American College of Surgeons; (2010).

    View Full Publication
  • Early extracorporeal life support as rescue therapy for severe acute respiratory distress syndrome after inhalation injury; Journal of Burn Care and Research; (2009).

    View Full Publication
  • The modern surgical lifestyle.; Bulletin of the American College of Surgeons; (2009).

    View Full Publication
  • Endovascular treatment of aortic coarctation in an adult with isthmic hypoplasia [3]; Journal of Endovascular Therapy; (2007).

    View Full Publication