Dr. Ben Carson is the Director of Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital. When he assumed this post at age 32 he was the youngest person to do so in Johns Hopkins history. Although Dr. Carson has performed many successful surgeries throughout his career, he is probably most famous for being the first surgeon in the world to successfully separate twins conjoined at the back of the head (craniophagus twins). Dr. Carson lead a 70-member surgical team in the 22 hour successful operation to separate the Binder twins who have been able to survive independently post-operation. Dr. Carson is also responsible for several surgical innovations to include the first intrauterine procedure to relieve pressure on the brain of a hydrocephalic fetal twin, and a hemispherical, in which a young girl suffering from uncontrollable seizures had one half of her brain removed. In 2008, Dr. Carson received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which is the highest civilian award in the United States.
In addition to his amazing medical achievements, Ben Carson is equally as inspirational for his own personal story and his unwavering commitment to helping African American youth achieve greatness and pursue academic excellence. Abandoned by his father and raised by a single mother, Ben Carson started school at the bottom of the pile. Often he would perform miserably on tests and it was not uncommon for him to get every answer wrong on math and other tests. Undeterred, his mother pushed him and his brother relentlessly and Carson's apathy and poor school results turned into crowning academic achievement that led him to college and subsequent medical school. Dr. Carson serves as the living example that a poor black youth from the streets (Detroit) can excel academically and professionally.
Dr. Carson is one of the most brilliant minds in the medical profession. He reached the pinnacle of his profession and has been a source of knowledge and inspiration for many who have come after him.
As an African American man, Ben Carson has never forgotten to "pay it forward" and has spent many hours of his life giving back to black youth and to the community. His tireless work in speaking and lecturing to young people about their future has served to inspire scores of young black men and women to be the best they can be.
Finally, Dr. Carson shows us that it is not where you start it is where you finish. Clearly not the greatest student early in life, Dr. Carson managed to overcome his early apathy and poor academic performance to become a graduate of Yale and the University of Michigan Medical School. His academic achievement should be a source of inspiration to all African Americans.
"God has given us more than fourteen billion cells and connections in our brain. Why would God give us such a complex organ system unless he expects us to use it?" - Ben Carson
To truly understand the brilliance of his neurosurgery you must read "The Big Picture". The book not only explains the genius of his medical work, but as with all of his books, also shows how a young man can overcome and excel even if he has a rocky start in life.
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