Nielsen attended the University of Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky, where she earned her Bachelor of Health Science degree in nuclear medicine technology. She then received her Master’s in Business Administration from Indiana Wesleyan University.
She began her career as a nuclear medicine technologist and subsequently became manager at Norton Healthcare in Louisville, then assistant professor and nuclear medicine program coordinator at Jefferson Community and Technical College, also in Louisville. Nielsen spent time as a radiation safety officer at Russell County Hospital in Russell Springs, Kentucky, then moved to Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis as a clinical assistant professor and nuclear medicine technology program director. She then worked for GE Healthcare in Atlanta before joining Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts.
Nielsen has served SNMMI in leadership roles since 2006, most recently as chair of the Advocacy Committee, co-chair of the Future of NM Technologists Committee, and member of the Publications, Educator’s, Government Relations, and Membership committees. She was president of both the Central and the Southeastern Chapters of the SNMMI-TS as well as Delegate at Large to the SNMMI-TS Executive Board from 2020-2022. In 2020-2021, she chaired the SNMMI-TS Educator’s Committee, and in 2019-2020 she was speaker of the National Council of Representatives. She is also a reviewer for The Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology. Nielsen was president of the SNM-TS from 2009-2010.
In addition to her SNMMI service, Nielsen has been president the Kentucky Society of Nuclear Medicine Technologists. She served on the Kentucky Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy Board as well as on the board of directors for the Nuclear Medicine Technology Certification Board. Nielsen has also served in several capacities in the American Society of Radiologic Technologists.
The SNMMI Technologist Section president-elect for 2025-26 is Shannon Youngblood, EdD, MSRS, CNMT, RT(CT), Greenwell Springs, Louisiana. Elected to leadership of SNMMI for 2025-26 were Jean-Luc C. Urbain, MD, PhD, FASNC, Buffalo, New York, as president; Heather Jacene, MD, Boston, Massachusetts, as president-elect; and Gary Ulaner, MD, PhD, FSNMMI, Laguna Hills, California, as vice president-elect.
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