Ben Carson

Bio:
Ben Carson (born Benjamin Solomon Carson, Sr. on September 18, 1951 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American author, neurosurgeon and politician. Ben was born and raised in Detroit, attending Southwestern High School. He eventually joined the JROTC and was offered a West Point scholarship. Instead, he attended Yale University, majoring in psychology and graduating in 1973. He received his medical degree from the University of Michigan Medical School. He became a resident at Maryland’s Johns Hopkins University in 1977. Due to his talents, he was promoted to chief resident in neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins in 1982. He left in 1983 before returning to John Hopkins in 1984. In 1985, he became the director of neurosurgery at the age of 33. In 1987, Ben successfully separated conjoined twins who were connected by the back of the head, the first doctor to ever do so. He continued to perform separation surgeries, with noted cases in 1994, 1997 and in 2003. In 2009, a television movie was adapted from his autobiography, Gifted Hands. It featured Cuba Gooding Jr. in the lead role. As his public profile grew, he started to speak publicly about his story and philosophy on life. Ben retired from surgery in 2013, announcing he’d rather quit at the top of his game. Ben is a multi-published author. Three of his books — America The Beautiful, One Nation, One Vote — expressed his political views In 2014, Ben joined the Republican Party and in 2015, announced his candidacy for the 2016 Presidential Election.

Best Known For:
Ben Carson is best known for his career as a neurosurgeon and, after his retirement, as a political personality.

Personal Life:
Ben won the Ward for Greatest Public Service Benefiting the Disadvantage award by the Jefferson Awards in 2000. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by George W. Bush in 2008. He married his wife, Lacena “Candy” Rustin, in 1975. They have three sons together – Ben Jr., Rhoeyce and Murray. He and his wife started the Carson Scholars Fund, which gives scholarships to students in grades 4-11 for academic excellence.