LDS Church President Russell M. Nelson is now known mostly for seeking spiritual healing of hearts, but Monday he won Utah’s highest civilian scientific award for a lifetime of earlier work as an innovative surgeon who physically healed hearts.
Gov. Gary Herbert and the Utah Science Technology and Research Initiative (USTAR) announced Nelson as the winner of a lifetime achievement award as part of the annual Governor’s Medals for Science and Technology.
He joins such past recipients as Nobel-winning geneticist Mario Capecchi, WordPerfect founder Alan Ashton and James LeVoy Sorenson, founder of the Sorenson medical research and supply companies.