Dr. Tom Nelson attended Texas A&M for undergraduate studies and veterinary school graduating in 1979 with honors. He started his professional career in Beaumont, Texas were he owned a successful small animal practice for 20 years. Dr. Nelson's special interest areas include orthopedic surgeries, oncology, critical care, and exotics. Dr. Nelson is considered a pioneer for his clinical work in the study of heartworm disease in cats. His work resulted in a paper presented at the 1998 Heartworm Symposium and was published in Recent Advances in Heartworm Disease '98. Dr. Nelson continues to be involved in heartworm research, is the lead author of the American Heartworm Society Guidelines, and has authored or coauthored 24 scientific papers and contributed three chapters to textbooks on the subject of heartworm disease.

In 1999, Dr. Nelson relocated his family to northeast Alabama and joined Animal Medical Center of NE Alabama where he currently serves as the Hospital Director.

Dr. Nelson is a past president of the American Heartworm Society, a former board member of the Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC) and sits on the International Feline Heartworm Council. He was the spokesperson for the KNOW Heartworms Campaign, a joint educational program of the American Heartworm Society and American Association of Feline Practitioners. Dr. Nelson also serves as a consultant for several pharmaceutical companies, is on the editorial advisory board for the Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association and reviews articles for the Journal of Feline Medicine & Surgery and Veterinary Parasitology Journal.

He enjoys cycling, backpacking, scuba diving, kayaking, and triathlons. Dr. Nelson is married to Brooke Nelson and has three sons: Drew, Cole, and Graham.