In Memoriam: Clement J. McDonald, MD and Ivo D. Nelson
McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics at UTHealth Houston would like to honor the lives and legacies of two John P. Glaser Health Informatics Innovator Awardees who recently passed away. Clement “Clem” J. McDonald, MD, the 2022 Glaser Awardee, died on May 21, 2026. Ivo D. Nelson, the inaugural Glaser Awardee from 2016, died on May 9, 2026.
“Healthcare recently lost two of its most significant, digital health leaders,” stated John P. Glaser, PhD, the namesake of the school’s Glaser Society. “The work of Clem McDonald, MD and Ivo Nelson has shaped our ability to effectively apply the technology to improve the health and healthcare of the communities we serve. They were giants.”
McDonald championed many causes including data standards in medicine. He developed Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes (LOINC), which encodes laboratory, pharmacy, and clinical data. It serves as the global standard for identifying medical laboratory observations. The availability of this resources has “helped improve patient care for millions” across the world. In addition to practicing primary care internal medicine, McDonald spent many decades working at the Indiana University and the Regenstrief Institute. He served as the Institute’s director from 1990 to 2006. He also worked at the U.S. National Library of Medicine for over twenty years.
Nelson was described as an “entrepreneur, author, and one of the foundational architects of the modern healthcare information technology industry.” When he was named the Glaser Awardee in 2016, Nelson served as the chairman and CEO of Next Wave Health, an investment firm that assists startup companies. Nelson was at the helm of numerous, successful health IT management consulting firms and left a lasting impact on the healthcare IT industry.
"Clem McDonald and Ivo Nelson were among the most influential architects of modern digital health,” noted McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics at UTHealth Houston Dean Jiajie Zhang, PhD. “Their vision, leadership, and lifelong dedication transformed how technology serves patients, clinicians, and communities, and their impact will continue to shape healthcare for generations.”
Memorial services for both Clem MacDonald, MD and Ivo Nelson were hosted in recent weeks. If you wish to honor Ivo Nelson’s memory with a special gift, the Nelson family asks that donations be made to the Ivo Nelson Scholarship Fund through the CHIME Education Foundation.
During the 9th annual Glaser Society Proceedings, taking place on October 30, 2026, McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics will honor both awardees not only for their contributions to the industry, but for their impact on our school community.