Robert B. Nelson, PA-C

Robert Nelson, PA-C, is a board-certified physician assistant and the Executive Director of Island Eye Surgicenter on Long Island, New York. Island Eye Surgicenter is a three-operating room facility with 35 attending physicians, who perform nearly 10,000 procedures annually.

Prior to joining Island Eye, Mr. Nelson served in similar administrative roles at other single-specialty and multi-specialty Accredited Surgical Centers (ASCs) in the New York metropolitan region and in Connecticut. He has practiced as a surgical Physician Assistant for more than 34 years in areas such as plastic and reconstructive surgery, general surgery, orthopedics and vascular surgery. Mr. Nelson brought his extensive experience to the field of ophthalmology in 1993 and has never left.

In addition to his day-to-day management responsibilities running a busy ASC, Mr. Nelson still finds time to keep his PA skills up to date in the operating room, assisting on cornea transplantations, glaucoma cases and oculoplastic and reconstructive surgical procedures every week. It is that combination of clinical experience and management expertise that affords Mr. Nelson the unique qualities needed to understand and run an efficient ASC. In addition to his responsibilities maintaining local, state and federal statutory compliance, he coordinates numerous pharmaceutical and device research studies conducted by Island Eye surgeons. He has published many articles in industry magazines.

Mr. Nelson is a graduate of the Physician Assistant Program at the Harlem Hospital Center, which was affiliated with Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in the Medical Sciences from The New School in New York City.