Life

Neilson was born in New Brunswick

New Brunswick

New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...

, Canada and trained in Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine

Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine

The Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine, otherwise known as Dalhousie Medical School, is a faculty at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada...

, followed by Memorial University of Newfoundland

Memorial University of Newfoundland

Memorial University of Newfoundland, is a comprehensive university located primarily in St...

. He currently has a medical practice in Erin

Erin, Ontario

Erin is a town in Wellington County, approximately 80 kilometres northwest of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Erin is an amalgamated town, composed of the former Villages of Erin and Hillsburgh, and the hamlets of Ballinafad, Brisbane, Cedar Valley, Crewson's Corners, and Orton, as well as the former...

, and lives with his family in Guelph

Guelph

Guelph is a city in Ontario, Canada.Guelph may also refer to:* Guelph , consisting of the City of Guelph, Ontario* Guelph , as the above* University of Guelph, in the same city...

, Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

.

His book, Call me Doctor, published in 2006, is an autobiographical account of his medical experiences.

Poetry

His books of poetry include Complete Physical, Meniscus and Exterminate My Heart. In 2010, Neilson won Arc Poetry Magazines 15th annual Poem of the Year contest.

In addition to being an author, Neilson is a notable critic and the poetry editor for Frog Hollow Press, and in 2005 he was editor for a collection of Alden Nowlan

Alden Nowlan

Alden Albert Nowlan was a critically acclaimed Canadian poet, novelist, and playwright-History:Alden Nowlan was born into rural poverty in Stanley, Nova Scotia, adjacent to Mosherville, and close to the small town of Windsor, Nova Scotia, along a stretch of dirt road that he would later refer to...

's medical poems called Alden Nowlan and Illness.