Christian J. Nelson, PhD

Dr. Christian “Chris” Nelson is the director of the Walther Center for Supportive Oncology at the IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Walther Professor of Supportive Oncology and professor of psychiatry and medicine at IU School of Medicine. Dr. Nelson will also serve as chief resilience officer for the cancer center.

Dr. Nelson leads the Walther Center for Supportive Oncology, where he is instrumental in developing clinical, education, and research initiatives.

Dr. Nelson is an internationally recognized leader in psycho-oncology research. He has led multiple NIH-funded studies and developed innovative psychotherapeutic interventions addressing cancer-related sexual dysfunction and survivorship challenges.

His research interests include the impact of cancer on quality of life in prostate and geriatric cancer patients, and the development of new talk therapies for these patients. His research also includes sexual dysfunction after treatments, cognitive effects of hormonal therapy in prostate cancer patients and emotional well-being in Black men with prostate cancer.

His work has earned national recognition, including the American Psychosocial Oncology Society New Investigator Award. He has held leadership roles in major professional organizations, including the Sexual Medicine Society of North America and the International Society of Psycho-Oncology.

Dr. Nelson brings a wealth of experience to IU including most recently as the chief of the psychiatry service and attending psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. He was also a professor of psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medicine.

As a researcher, his work has been supported by the National Institutes of Health, and he has launched independent research programs in male sexual medicine, prostate cancer and the psycho-oncology of aging and cancer. He has published more than 180 research articles.