John Nelson

John Nelson, Orthodontics Class of 2026, grew up in small town in CT as the youngest of three with two older sisters. Always being intrigued by how things work, the science behind the sports he played, and his interest in disassembling electronics (and admittedly at times, unable to put them back together), John quickly became interested in the world of engineering.

John graduated from Villanova University with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. During his time at Villanova, John served as a peer tutor and was inducted into the Pi Tau Sigma and Tau Beta Pi engineering honor societies. Much of his free time was consumed with collegiate football as a placekicker of the Wildcats football team, with the team winning the 2009 1-AA national championship and making a 2010 semifinals appearance. What John is most thankful for however was meeting his future wife, a fellow engineer at school, whose path had not crossed his until his junior year.

After graduating, John worked as an engineer and while he enjoyed the nature of these projects, he wanted to combine his knowledge of engineering in a more direct way which led him to dentistry. John was privileged to earn an acceptance to the University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine where he eventually went on to receive his DMD. After a brief trip down to Chapel Hill, John quickly came down with contagious “Carolina Fever” and is thankful for the privilege and opportunity to continue his training in orthodontics as a Tar Heel.

Beyond orthodontics, John enjoys spending time with his son and wife, while running and cycling in his spare time. Having ran two marathons and not a stranger to the bike, he hopes to improve his swimming to one day do triathlons. This of course is dependent on him not first getting sidetracked by his love of eating and trying too many food challenges.