COLLEGE AND MEDICAL SCHOOL

Neurosurgery Prevails - Hopkins Years Begin: In his interview with George Udvarhelyi, M.D., then head of the neurosurgery residency program at Johns Hopkins, Ben Carson, M.D., was reminded that no knowledge is wasted. As a boy, he had been introduced to classical music by his older brother Curtis. Enamored by its soulful beauty, he set about learning all he could about its history and composers. He became a connoisseur of classical composition and technique. Years later, he would write that he believes his common affinity with Dr. Udvarhelyi for classical music, which they discussed extensively during their initial conversation, was a factor in his subsequent acceptance into the neurosurgery program at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. In years since, he has cited this beneficial exchange as a reminder of the power of an education.

After completing his neurosurgery training at Hopkins, Carson, with his wife Candy, whom he married in 1975, moved to Australia for an additional two years of intensive training in the specialty. In 1984, Carson would return to Hopkins, named the youngest-ever director of pediatric neurosurgery, at the age of 33.