After 22 years in the Department of Pathology, Dr. Marcus Nashelsky has retired. 

Dr. Nashelsky joined our department in 2003 as an Associate Professor and Director of Autopsy Services. During his career he served as Clinical Professor of Pathology, Assistant Iowa State Medical Examiner, and Medical Examiner and Deputy Medical Examiner for Johnson County. 

Dr. Nashelsky was integral to the modernization of the Decedent Care Center and bringing the Decedent Care Center into General Hospital, a major project completed in 2008. He also took part in the department’s outreach program “Forensic Pathology: What You Don’t See on TV,” a community class that gives a look into the real work forensic pathologists face every day and night. 

Dr. Nashelsky is known for his calm, but stoic demeanor, and remembered fondly by faculty, staff, and former students for the care he appointed to the craft of forensic pathology and guiding future pathologists, ensuring that each detail of a report comes across exactly as needed. Prior mentees attending his retirement celebration stated that they have taken many of his teachings to heart in their own practices, often asking themselves when they don’t know how to proceed in a case, “What would Nashelsky do?”

He plans to volunteer at the hospital in his spare time while continuing one of his many hobbies, such as cycling, running, various sewing projects, vacationing wherever his heart desires, and more.

Before arriving in Iowa City, Dr. Nashelsky was a forensic pathologist with the Sparrow Health System in Lansing, Michigan and Deputy Medical Examiner for Muskegon and Allegan counties in Michigan.