Monthly Career Focus – “Neurosurgery (Neuroscience)”
FEATURED SCIENTIST
Dr. Ben Carson
Benjamin Solomon Carson was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1951,
younger brother of Curtis and son of Sonya and Robert Carson. After
his father left the family, Carson and his brother and mother lived in
poverty in Boston for two years before returning to Detroit in 1961.
As a child, Carson was a poor student and suffered from low selfesteem and a bad temper. He credits his mother with helping him
turn things around by forcing him to stop watching television and
read more books. Though illiterate herself, Sonya made him write
book reports, which she pretended to read. Around age 14, Carson
also began to draw strength and inspiration from his belief in God.
By the end of high school, he received a scholarship to Yale.
Carson entered the University Of Michigan Medical School in 1973. He received his degree in
1977 and, upon the strength of his recommendations, began his residency at Johns Hopkins in
Baltimore. He served as a senior registrar in neurosurgery at Charles Gardner Hospital in
Australia for a year; he returned to Johns Hopkins in 1984 at age 33 years old, he became The
Chief of Pediatric Neurosurgery.
Today Carson is one of the leading pediatric neurosurgeons in the world. In 1987, he gained
worldwide recognition as the principal surgeon in the 22-hour separation of the Binder conjoined
twins from Germany. Dr. Carson became the primary surgeon in the team of South African and
Zambian surgeons that separated vertical craniopagus twins (joined at the top of the head) in a
28-hour operation in 1997. He is also well-known for hemispherectomy surgery, which removes
part of the brain in order to correct seizures.
In 1994, Carson and his wife created the Carson Scholars Fund, which recognizes young people's
exceptional academic and humanitarian accomplishments. He is the author of three books and a
highly sought-after motivational speaker, which include, "Gifted Hands" and "Think Big" and
"The Big Picture".
Dr. Carson spoke these words while being interviewed on a TV show, "As a person who
deals in the neural sciences, I've come to have great respect for the brain and its capabilities.
You know, the brain can process two million bits of information per second. It remembers
everything you've ever seen, everything you've ever heard, and with brains like these, we really
shouldn't be wandering around talking about what we can't do; we should be trying to create an
atmosphere that helps our young people to realize that, whatever they can imagine, they can
achieve."
Source:
PBS – Educational Broadcasting Company. http://www.pbs.org/wnet/aalives/profile_carson.html
and http://myhero.com/myhero/heroprint.asp?hero=b_carson
---Continued on the Next Page---
THE MAJOR “Neurosurgery (Neuroscience)”
What is it all about: Neuroscience is the interdisciplinary study of the nervous system and
human behavior. It covers issues such as the molecular and cellular basis of neuronal function,
nervous system structure, systems of neurons as processors of information, the representation of
functions in the brain, the evolutionary development of the nervous system, neural correlates of
behavior, and mechanisms of nervous system disorders. The neuroscience major prepares you
for graduate study in neuroscience or a related field and for careers requiring a solid foundation
in science.
Overall, neuroscience addresses interesting questions. How do we think? Why do we behave the
way we do? What is the relationship between the mind and the brain? How does the brain give
rise to consciousness? How do nature and nurture influence our behavior?
Neurosurgery is the surgical discipline focused on treating those central and peripheral nervous
system diseases amenable to mechanical intervention. Neurosurgery is widely viewed as one of
the most prestigious fields in medicine. This is due to the extremely complex knowledge base
required to master the field as well as the highly selective admission criteria for entry into
neurosurgery residency programs. Finally, the minimal 6-7 year postgraduate training period
required for neurosurgery is also among the longest and most challenging of any medical
specialty.
Typical courses: General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, General biology, Calculus, Statistics,
Physics, Introductory psychology, Introductory neuroscience, Neurobiology, Behavioral
neuroscience, Cognitive neuroscience, Systems neuroscience, Neuropharmacology, Sensory
neuroscience, Development neuroscience
Source: College Board 2005 College Handbook, 2004