Ben Carson Biography

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Ben Carson biography

Ben Carson is an American neurosurgeon. He was born on September 18, 1951, in Detroit, Michigan. A graduate of the University of Michigan Medical School, one of his biggest achievements was a 22-hour operation in which he separated two co-joined twins who were attached at the back of the head. He announced his candidacy for the 2016 US presidential elections; however, he ended his campaign on March 4, 2016.

Early life and education

Ben Carson was born in Detroit to Sonya and Robert Solomon Carson. Ben Caron was eight years old when his parents divorced. Thereafter, he lived with his mother. Carson attended the Yale University from where he received a bachelor’s degree in psychology in 1973. After graduating from Yale, Carson attended the University of Michigan from where he earned a medical degree in 1977. He later completed a residency in neurosurgery from the John Hopkins University Medical School in Baltimore, Maryland.

Career

In 1983, Ben Carson accepted the offer of senior registrar at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Perth, Australia. Carson spent one year in the position and returned to John Hopkins in 1984 where he took up the post of Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery becoming the youngest doctor in the United States of America to earn such a title. At John Hopkins, Ben Carson also held professorships in oncology, plastic surgery and pediatrics.

In 1987, Ben Carson led a successful operation when he separated two co-joined twins Patrick and Benjamin Binder. Both the boys were joined at the back of the head and were separated by Carson who was the lead neurosurgeon of a 70-member surgical team. Carson led a team of Zambian and South African surgeons in 1997 to separate two co-joined twins who were joined at the top of the head. The operation lasted 28 hours. Ben Carson announced his retirement as surgeon in March 2013.

Ben Carson has written numerous articles and six bestselling books. The Washington Times hired Carson as a weekly opinion columnist in 2013. In October 2013, Carson was hired by Fox News as a contributor.

2016 US presidential elections

On May 4, 2015, Ben Carson announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination in the 2016 US presidential election.

Carson failed to win any states in the Super Tuesday Republican primary contests held on March 1, 2016. Following his dismal performance, Carson’s campaign released a statement saying that it did not see a political path forward. He stated that he would not be attending the eleventh Republican debate to be held on March 3, 2016. On March 4, 2016, Ben Carson suspended his presidential campaign.

Personal life

Ben Carson met Lacena “Candy” Rustin at Yale University and the two got married in 1975. They initially lived in Howard County, Maryland. In 2001, they shifted to West Friendship in Maryland and purchased a 48-acre property. In 2013, Ben Carson, his wife and his mother shifted to West Palm Beach, Florida. The couple has three sons and several grandchildren.