Russell M. Nelson is an American religious leader and retired cardiothoracic surgeon. He is the 17th president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a position he has held since January 2018. Nelson's early education included a bachelor's degree in biological sciences and a medical degree from the University of Utah. He completed his medical residency and earned a Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota, where he was part of the team that developed the heart-lung machine used in the first successful human open-heart surgery. He served in the U.S. Army Medical Corps during the Korean War and later became a professor of surgery at the University of Utah. Throughout his medical career, Nelson was a pioneer in heart surgery, performing the first open-heart surgery in Utah and contributing to significant advancements in the field. He authored numerous medical papers and trained many surgeons worldwide. In 1984, Nelson was called to serve as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the LDS Church, where he served until becoming the current church president. Nelson has been married twice, first to Dantzel White, with whom he had ten children. After her passing, he married Wendy L. Watson. He is known for his emphasis on personal revelation, temple worship, and the importance of family.