May 1, 2006
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Meharry Medical College welcomes Dr. Benjamin S. Carson Sr., director of the division of pediatric neurosurgery at
Johns
Hopkins
Hospital
, as the keynote speaker for the College's 131st Commencement on May 20 and as a recipient of the honorary Doctor of Science degree.
Carson will address Meharry's graduating Class of 2006 with students from the School of Graduate Studies and Research, the School of Dentistry and the School of Medicine at 2 p.m. in the
Gentry
Center
at
Tennessee
State
University
. Approximately 150 students are expected to graduate.
Also receiving the honorary Doctor of Science degree will be Dr. Sidney McNairy Jr., an Associate Director in the National Center for Research Resources of the National Institutes of Health and the Director of the Division of Research Infrastructure. He is responsible for providing oversight management for the Research Centers in Minority Institutions program. McNairy has managed over $1 billion of federal funding that is used to provide competitive support for biomedical and behavioral research at universities throughout the nation. Meharry Medical College's Research Centers in Minority Institutions program joined with others across the nation in 2005 in celebrating the program's 20th anniversary.
About Dr. Benjamin Carson
At age 32, Dr. Ben Carson became the youngest director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital. In 1987, he became widely known for being the first to separate conjoined twins joined at the back of the head and the first to complete successfully the separation of type two vertically conjoined twins in 1997 in South Africa. Although he has been involved in many newsworthy surgeries, he feels that every case is noteworthy and deserving of maximum attention. His special interests in pediatric neurosurgery involve craniofacial
reconstructive surgery, neuro-oncology, skeletal dysplasia, seizure surgery and, in adults, trigeminal neuralgia, a facial nerve disorder that causes intense pain.
Carson holds more than 40 honorary doctoral degrees and is a member of the American Academy of Achievement, the Horatio Alger Society of Distinguished Americans, and many other prestigious organizations. He sits on the boards of directors of numerous organizations, including Kellogg Company, Costco Wholesale Corporation and the Academy of Achievement, and he is an Emeritus Fellow of the Yale Corp., the governing body of Yale University. He was appointed in 2004 by President George W. Bush to serve on the President's Council on Bioethics.
Carson is a highly regarded motivational speaker who has addressed various audiences: from school systems and civic groups to corporations and the President's National Prayer Breakfast. He is president and co-founder of the Carson Scholars Fund, which recognizes young people of all backgrounds for exceptional academic and humanitarian accomplishments. The fund is currently operating in 10 states. He also co-founded Angels of the OR, which provide grants to assist families with uninsured medical expenses incurred during adult and pediatric neurosurgery.
In addition to being a surgeon, Carson is also a writer who has authored three bestsellers: "Gifted Hands," "The Big Picture" and "Think Big." The first book is an autobiography, and the latter two are about his personal philosophies of success that incorporate hard work and a faith in God.
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Meharry Medical College is the nation’s largest private, independent historically black institution dedicated solely to educating minority and other health professionals. The College is particularly well known for its uniquely nurturing, highly effective educational programs; emerging preeminence in health disparities research; culturally sensitive, evidence-based health services; and significant contribution to the diversity of the nation’s health professions workforce. Black Issues in Higher Education’s ranking of institutions annually lists Meharry as a leading national educator of African Americans with M.D. and D.D.S. degrees, and Ph.D. degrees in the biomedical sciences.
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