Ben Carson (born September 18, 1951) is a renowned American neurosurgeon. He is said to be one of the first and youngest in the nation at the age of 32 to become the Director of Pediatrics Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He is an inspiration to black children growing up with single parentage all over the world.

In 1987 Carson came to media attention when he separated conjoined twins who were joined at the head and shared part of the same brain. In 2003, he was a member of the surgical team which worked to separate Ladan and Laleh Bijani. When asked why he had performed such risky surgery, he said that he had heard them say that they would rather die than stay conjoined. After having heard that, he wanted to use his skills to try to save them.

Carson graduated from Yale University with a degree in psychology in 1973. His medical degree was obtained from the University of Michigan in 1977.

Dr. Carson is a recipient of numerous honors and awards including more than 20 honorary doctorate degrees. He is a member of the American Academy of Achievement , the Horatio Alger Society 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.

In June 2002, Dr. Carson was diagnosed with a highly agressive form of prostate cancer. Six weeks later he underwent successful surgery to remove the cancer. He took an active role in the medical and recovery process, asking his medical team questions and examining his own x-rays and scans. Since the surgery there have been no complications, and he did not need to undergo chemotherapy or other radiation treatment.

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

He has written three books: Gifted Hands, Think Big and The Big Picture.

Dr. Carson has been married to Candy Carson for twenty-five years and has three sons.

External links

• Ben Carson's profile at Johns Hopkins Hospital
• Dr Ben Carson's Website
• President's Council on Bioethics

Publications

• Carson, Benjamin S., M.D. (2000). The Big Picture, Zondervan Publishing Co. ISBN 0-310-23834-X
• Carson, Benjamin S., M.D. (1996). Think Big, Zondervan Publishing Co. ISBN 0-310-21459-9
• Carson, Benjamin S., M.D. (1996). Gifted Hands,Zondervan Publishing Co. ISBN 0-310-21469-6