Noted surgeon and Yale alumnus Dr. Benjamin S. Carson will visit his alma mater Tuesday-Wednesday, Oct. 15-16, as a guest of the Tetelman Fellowship at Jonathan Edwards College.
During his stay, Dr. Carson will present a lecture titled "Medicine: Putting Ivy in the I.V." at 5:15 p.m. on Oct. 15 in the lecture hall of the Yale University Art Gallery, entrance on High Street. He will also be the guest at a master's tea at 4 p.m. on Oct. 16 in the JE master's house, 68 High St. Both events are free and open to the public.
Dr. Carson will also meet with students at two luncheons being held on campus in his honor -- the first on Oct. 15 at 12:30 p.m. in Mory's; the second on Oct. 16 at 12:30 p.m. in the Afro-American Cultural Center. Those interested in attending either of the luncheons should sign up at the JE master's office.
In 1987 Dr. Carson received national publicity when he led the team of surgeons at The Johns Hopkins University who used hypothermic arrest -- that is, cooling the patient's body to slow brain metabolism and temporarily stop blood flow -- in conjunction with surgery to separate conjoined twins. It was the first time these two procedures had been combined. Dr. Carson has performed many other technically complex operations, including the first intrauterine shunting procedure for a hydrocephalic twin, thereby preventing premature birth that would have killed both twins.
A 1973 graduate of Yale College, where he majored in psychology, Dr. Carson earned his medical degree at the University of Michigan. He is currently director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins. When he first took that post in 1984, at the age of 33, he was the youngest person in the country and one of only three African-Americans to hold that position. At Hopkins, he is also an associate professor of neurological surgery, oncology and plastic surgery; assistant professor of pediatrics; and co-director of the Cleft Palate and Craniofacial Center.
Dr. Carson has played an active role in urging youths to stay in school and strive for higher goals. He has been recognized for both his professional achievements and his motivational efforts through numerous awards and honorary degrees, including one from Yale last May. He is the author of the books "Gifted Hands" and "Think Big," as well as numerous articles in the scholarly and popular press, and has appeared frequently on television.
The Tetelman Fellowship at Yale was endowed in 1979 by Damon Wells of the Class of 1958 in memory of his friend and classmate, Alan S. Tetelman, who died in a plane crash in 1978. The fellowship honors distinguished individuals who have made a significant contribution to science.