Ben Carson

Benjamin Solomon Carson Sr born September 18 1951 is an American retired neurosurgeon author and politician who served as the 17th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from 2017 to 2021 He was a candidate for President of the United States in the 2016 Republican primaries He is considered a pioneer in the field of neurosurgery Carson became the Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at the Johns Hopkins Childrens Center in 1984 at age 33 he was the youngest chief of pediatric neurosurgery in the United States At retirement he was professor of neurosurgery oncology plastic surgery and pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Carsons achievements include participating in the first reported separation of conjoined twins joined at the back of the head Although surgically a success the twins continued to suffer neurologicmedical complications Additional accomplishments include performing the first successful neurosurgical procedure on a fetus inside the womb developing new methods to treat brainstem tumors and revitalizing hemispherectomy techniques for controlling seizures He wrote over 100 neurosurgical publications He retired from medicine in 2013 Carson gained national fame among political conservatives after delivering a speech at the 2013 National Prayer Breakfast which was perceived as critical of the policies of President Barack Obama 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 however his polling support began to decline following scrutiny of his foreign policy credentials after the November 2015 Paris attacks Carson withdrew from the race after Super Tuesday following a string of disappointing primary results and endorsed Donald Trump Following Trumps victory Trump nominated Carson as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development being confirmed by the United States Senate in a 5841 vote on March 2 2017 Carson has also been seen as a symbol of black conservatism Carson has received numerous honors for his neurosurgery work including more than 60 honorary doctorate degrees and numerous national merit citations In 2001 he was named by CNN and TIME magazine as one of the nations 20 foremost physicians and scientists and was selected by the Library of Congress as one of 89 Living Legends on its 200th anniversary In 2008 Carson was bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom the highest civilian award in the United States In 2010 he was elected into the National Academy of Medicine He was the subject of the 2009 TV film Gifted Hands The Ben Carson Story where he was portrayed by Cuba Gooding Jr From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia