Dr. Neilson joined the Office of Disease Prevention (ODP) in May 2010. She serves as a Health Science Policy Analyst and focuses on identifying research needs and gaps, facilitating collaborative prevention research activities, and promoting the adoption of evidence-based practices and policies into primary care and public health settings.

Dr. Neilson serves as a liaison between the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and the Community Preventive Services Task Force. She is also a member of the NIH Dissemination and Implementation Working Group, the Coordinating Committee on Research on Women's Health, and the Pediatrics Research Consortium.

Before joining the ODP, Dr. Neilson served for six years as an advocacy relations manager at the National Cancer Institute. She also served as program director of the D.C. Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, as an area manager for Planned Parenthood, and as a public health nurse.

Dr. Neilson received a Bachelor of Science in nursing from Emory University. She earned a Master of Science in community health nursing, a Master of Public Health, and a Ph.D. in public health with a concentration in social and behavioral sciences from Johns Hopkins University.