Laura Nist Obituary, Death- Dr. Laura D. Nist, a well-liked and distinguished neuromuscular specialist at Loma Linda University and a veteran AANEM member, died on February 13, 2023, after a year-long battle with lung cancer. Dr. Nist got her medical degree and completed her neurology residency at the Loma Linda University (LLU) School of Medicine and the LLU Medical Center. When she was conducting a clinical neurophysiology fellowship with Lawrence (Larry) Phillips at the University of Virginia, she and her husband lived in an old log cabin.
Following her fellowship, she returned to the LLU Department of Neurology, where she served as associate chair for education, director of the clinical neurophysiology fellowship program, director of the neurology residency program, mentor for the LLU School of Medicine LIFE Communities, director of the medical student clerkship, chair of the neurology academic committee, and director of the ALS clinic. She was an AANEM member who served on the EDX SAE (which she chaired from 2018 to 2021) and the EDX Lab Accreditation committee.
Dr. Nist was an empathy and compassion role model who had a tremendous influence on the lives and careers of numerous neurology residents, fellows, and medical students. Patients and staff both praised her remarkable clinical talents. She won the Loma Linda University Health Wholeness Service Award in 2007 and the Loma Linda University School of Medicine Distinguished Service Award in 2022. Despite her leadership and academic accomplishments, she is most known for her pleasant demeanor and dedication to the LGBTQ+ community and women in medicine. Her three children, Sofia, Conner, and Calem, as well as her husband, Phil Nist, PhD, a Philosophy Lecturer at California State University, San Bernardino, survive her.
The Laura D. Nist Educator & Humanitarian Award was created to recognize Dr. Nist’s long-lasting impact on her patients, students, residents, fellows, and colleagues. This award is awarded each year to an LLU winner who best exemplifies the concepts of whole-person care. If you’d like to contribute with this fund, please make a gift to the Dr. Laura Nist Award.