Dr. Kaz Nelson is a psychiatrist and advocate for compassionate and effective care through high-quality education and innovation for people living with psychiatric illnesses. Dr. Nelson works in Omaha, Nebraska, as Chief Psychiatrist for the Nebraska - Western Iowa Vetterans Affairs Health Care System and in Minneapolis, Minnesota, as an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Minnesota Medical School. Medical education leadership has been the focus of Dr. Nelson's career and she has published, presented, and developed educational materials nationally and internationally as director of the Psychiatry Education Research Laboratory (PERLab).

Dr. Nelson is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. Dr. Nelson's clinical interests lie in the area of best practices in the diagnosis and management of severe personality disorders, suicide, and psychotherapeutic communication with patients in acute settings. Dr. Nelson a subject matter expert on the APA's guidelines in the treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder released in 2023.