Jon Nelson is a lived-experience expert in mental health. A healthcare communications executive in the biopharmaceutical space for 20+ years, Jon is a tireless advocate and voice for those who, like him, suffer from mental illness. Jon’s mission is to pulverize the stigma associated with mental illness to help the millions who needlessly suffer in silence.
Jon was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA and was first diagnosed with mental illness in 2010; he has participated in numerous treatments since then intended to mitigate against its harmful effects.
Having not shown improvement after exhausting all treatment options, in 2022 Jon became one of only a small handful of people in the U.S. to participate in clinical trials aimed at healing mental disorders and related depression. Known as deep brain stimulation, the procedure was built on the scientific premise that electrical stimulation could reset brains that are in the grip of powerful and devastating psychiatric disorders such as depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. The procedure was a resounding success. He has been in remission from depression since the day the device was turned on in August 2022.
Of the many physiological and psychological challenges that Jon has endured over the years, perhaps the biggest one he’s yet to overcome is the stigma that’s often associated with mental illness. In today’s world, the resilience of those who have diseases like cancer is often celebrated while those grappling with mental illness are heavily stigmatized.
Rather than succumbing to the challenges of suffering with mental illness and its stigma, Jon instead chose to channel his experiences into a lifelong mission of advocacy and support. Jon currently serves as a strategic advisor for several not for profits including One Mind and Mental Health Collaborative and as an advisor to Motif Neurotech, which develops minimally invasive bioelectronics to treat and monitor severe mental illness. Most recently, Jon was invited by the NIH to speak at a congressional briefing to discuss progress from the BRAIN Initiative, which fosters better understanding of the human brain and its potential for revolutionizing treatments for neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders.
Jon previously held executive leadership roles in healthcare communications at Omnicom, Syneos Health and the PSL Group.
