Ben Carson

Ben Carson
Official portrait, 2017
17th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
In office
March 2, 2017 – January 20, 2021
PresidentDonald Trump
DeputyPam Patenaude
Brian D. Montgomery
Preceded byJulian Castro
Succeeded byMarcia Fudge
Personal details
Born
Benjamin Solomon Carson

(1951-09-18) September 18, 1951 (age 73)
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Political partyRepublican (1981–1999, since 2014)[1]
Other political
affiliations		Independent (1999–2014)
Democratic (until 1981)
Spouse
​
(m. 1975)​
Children3
Alma materYale University (BA)
University of Michigan (MD)
Occupation
  • Neurosurgeon
  • politician
  • academic
  • author
AwardsPresidential Medal of Freedom (2008)
Spingarn Medal (2006)
Signature
Medical career
ProfessionNeurosurgeron
InstitutionsJohns Hopkins University
National Academy of Medicine
Sub-specialtiesPediatric neurosurgery
Achondroplasia
Craniosynostosis
Epilepsy
Trigeminal neuralgia
ResearchHemispherectomy
Conjoined twins separation

Benjamin Solomon Carson Sr. (born September 18, 1951) is an American retired neurosurgeon, academic, author, and politician who served as the 17th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from 2017 to 2021. A pioneer in the field of neurosurgery, he was a candidate for President of the United States in the 2016 Republican primaries.[2][3][4] Carson is one of the most prominent black conservatives in the United States.[5]

Carson became the director of pediatric neurosurgery at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center in 1984 at age 33, then the youngest chief of pediatric neurosurgery in the United States.[6] In 1987, he gained significant fame after leading a team of surgeons in the first known separation of conjoined twins joined at the back of the head. Although the surgery was a success, the twins continued to experience neurological and medical complications.[7] His additional accomplishments include performing the first successful neurosurgical procedure on a fetus inside the womb, developing new methods to treat brain-stem tumors, and revitalizing hemispherectomy techniques for controlling seizures.[8][9][6][10] He has written over 100 neurosurgical publications. He retired from medicine in 2013; at the time, he was professor of neurosurgery, oncology, plastic surgery, and pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.[11]

Carson gained national fame among political conservatives after delivering a speech at the 2013 National Prayer Breakfast that was perceived as critical of the policies of President Barack Obama.[12] Following widespread speculation of a presidential run, Carson officially announced his campaign for the 2016 Republican nomination for President in May 2015. Carson performed strongly in early polls, leading to him being considered a frontrunner for the nomination during the fall of 2015.[13] He withdrew from the race after Super Tuesday, following a string of disappointing primary results, and endorsed Donald Trump.[14] Following his victory, President Trump nominated Carson as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, being confirmed by the United States Senate in a 58–41 vote on March 2, 2017.[15]

Carson has received numerous honors for his neurosurgery work, including over 60 honorary doctorate degrees and numerous national merit citations.[16] In 2001, he was named by CNN and Time magazine as one of the nation's 20 foremost physicians and scientists and was selected by the Library of Congress as one of 89 "Living Legends" on its 200th anniversary.[9] In 2008, Carson was bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States.[17] In 2010, he was elected into the National Academy of Medicine.[18] He was the subject of the 2009 biographical television film Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story, wherein he was portrayed by Cuba Gooding Jr.

  1. ^ Solomon, John. Ben Carson officially changes political parties, rejoins GOP, The Washington Times (November 4, 2014).
  2. ^ Dooley, Erin (March 2, 2017). "Everything you need to know about HUD Secretary Ben Carson". ABC News. Archived from the original on December 5, 2016. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
  3. ^ Garrison, Greg (April 26, 2012). "Pioneer surgeon Ben Carson will speak at Birmingham-Southern tonight". al. Archived from the original on April 4, 2021. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  4. ^ Ben Carson Brochure (PDF). Morehouse School of Medicine. p. 2. He is internationally recognized as a pioneer in his field. In his operation on the Binder Siamese twins in 1987, he succeeded where all predecessors had failed, in separating twins joined at the head.
  5. ^ Rigueur, Leah Wright (September 10, 2015). "What explains Ben Carson? The long tradition of black conservatism". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  6. ^ a b Belluck, Pam; Eder, Steve (November 22, 2015). "With Ben Carson, the Doctor and the Politician Can Vary Sharply". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  7. ^ Cameron, D. E.; Reitz, B. A.; Carson, B. S.; Long, D. M.; Dufresne, C. R.; Vander Kolk, C. A.; Maxwell, L. G.; Tilghman, D. M.; Nichols, D. G.; Wetzel, R. C. (1989). "Separation of craniopagus Siamese twins using cardiopulmonary bypass and hypothermic circulatory arrest". The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. 98 (5 Pt 2). J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg: 961–967. doi:10.1016/S0022-5223(19)34279-5. PMID 2682024.
  8. ^ "16 Things to Know About ... Ben Carson". PBS. December 5, 2016. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
  9. ^ a b "Acclaimed physician Benjamin Carson to give Neurosurgery lecture April 11". UW News. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
  10. ^ Burger, Peter C; Khandji, Alexander G; Tihan, Tarik; Carson, Benjamin S; Canoll, Peter D; Bruce, Jeffrey N; Zacharia, Brad E; Mocco, J; Sughrue, Michael E (November 24, 2004). "Pilomyxoid Astrocytoma: A Review". Medscape General Medicine. 6 (4): 42. ISSN 1531-0132. PMC 1480592. PMID 15775869.
  11. ^ "Neurologists & Neurosurgeons at Johns Hopkins – Profile: Dr. Benjamin Carson". June 25, 2013. Archived from the original on June 25, 2013. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  12. ^ Preston, Mark (December 3, 2014). "Ben Carson: Political phenomenon". CNN. Retrieved May 9, 2015.
  13. ^ "Online poll: Carson slips, leaving Trump on top". The Hill. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
  14. ^ Costa, Robert; Terris, Ben (March 2, 2016). "Ben Carson tells supporters he sees no 'path forward' for presidential campaign". The Washington Post.
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference AlcindorConfirmed was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ "Ben S. Carson". The Washington Times. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  17. ^ Booker, Brakkton (May 3, 2015). "5 Things You Should Know About Ben Carson". NPR. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  18. ^ "Carson, Hopkins Colleagues Named to Institute of Medicine | Children's Hospital at Johns Hopkins | Baltimore, Maryland". November 25, 2010. Archived from the original on November 25, 2010. Retrieved March 30, 2020.