Ben Carson

Benjamin Solomon Carson, Sr., M.D. (born 18 September 1951) is a noted African American neurosurgeon. He became the Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital when he was 33 years old, and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2008.

Background

Carson graduated from Detroit's Southwestern High School with honors, and then attended Yale University where he earned a degree in Psychology. From there he went to the University of Michigan Medical School. There, his interest shifted from psychology to neurosurgery, and after medical school he went to work at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. At age 32, he became the hospital's Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery.

In 1987, Dr. Carson made medical history with an operation to separate a pair of Siamese twins. The Binder twins were joined at the back of the head. Previous operations of this type had failed, killing both twins or only saving one. After 22 hours of surgery with a staff of seventy on hand, Carson's operation was successful.

In 1997, he went to South Africa where he operated with a 50-member team in the successful separation of 11-month-old Zambian twin boys, Joseph and Luka Banda, joined at the head. The twins did not share any organs but did share intricate blood vessels which flowed into each child's brain. According to Carson, he had performed surgical rehearsals with a computerized, 3-D virtual workbench that allowed him to visualize artificial reconstructions of the twins' brains. The operation lasted 28 hours before successfully concluding.

In 2003, Carson was a member of the surgical team which worked to separate conjoined siblings Ladan and Laleh Bijani. When they asked why he had performed such a risky surgery, he said that he had heard them say that they would rather die than stay conjoined.

Carson has received numerous honors and awards including more than 40 honorary doctorate degrees. He is a member of the American Academy of Achievement, the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, and many other prestigious organizations. He sits on many boards including the Board of Directors of Kellogg Company, Costco Wholesale Corporation, Yale Corporation (the governing body of Yale University), and America's Promise. He is also the president and co-founder of the Carson Scholars Fund, which recognizes young people of all backgrounds for exceptional academic and humanitarian accomplishments. Carson did a cameo in the 2003 movie Stuck on You (starring Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear) where he dons a surgeon mask to separate the conjoined twins.

Carson was appointed to the President's Council on Bioethics by George W. Bush in 2004.

Dr. Carson has also had success with Trigeminal neuralgia. Using Radio frequency and Glycerine Rhizotomy he has saved many lives from this painful disease noted as "the suicide disease" due to the level of pain.

On 30 May 2008, Dr. Carson spoke to thousands of students, coaches, and parents at the 24th Annual National Science Olympiad Competition at The George Washington University in Washington D.C., where he delivered the Keynote address. Dr. Carson's speech segued into the events of the weekend, where aspiring young scientists from all over the United States competed in events covering all disciplines of science and engineering. He spoke about his childhood, and how he was inspired to work hard and become successful.

On 19 June 2008, President George W. Bush presented Dr. Carson with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States' highest civilian honor, for his work as a surgeon and for his efforts to improve the lives of America's youth.

Extra Facts About Ben Carson

It was during his studies at Yale that Carson met his future wife, Candy Rustin, a talented musician pursuing a triple major. They were married in 1975 and have three sons. He also has two schools named after him: the Benjamin S. Carson Honors Preparatory Middle School and the Dr. Benjamin Carson Academy Of Science, located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

For the 2006 PBS program African American Lives, Carson, along with other notable African Americans such as Oprah Winfrey and comedian Chris Tucker, had his DNA tested to discover his original African ancestry. The genetic test determined that some of his ancestors may have originated from the Lunda ethnic group, who are currently located in Angola, Congo, and Zambia.

In addition to being a surgeon, Carson is also a writer who has authored three bestsellers: Gifted Hands, The Big Picture, and Think Big. The first book is an autobiography, and the latter two are about his personal philosophies of success that incorporate hard work and a faith in God. Carson is a Seventh-day Adventist, and an outspoken evangelical Christian. In 2007, Carson spoke at Indiana Wesleyan University, received an honorary doctorate of humanities degree, and was inducted into the IWU's Society of World Changers.