Dr. Ben Carson joins Kathy sitting in for Dawn! Dr. Ben & Kathy Barnette discuss the state of the nation nationally, finding support for grassroots movements, & if Americans are waking up on all sides of the aisle.

For a time, the likelihood of Benjamin S. Carson, Sr., M.D. fulfilling his childhood dream of becoming a physician seemed unlikely. Growing up in a single parent home with dire poverty, poor grades, a horrible temper, and low self-esteem appeared to preclude the realization of that dream until his mother, with only a third-grade education, challenged her sons to strive for excellence. She observed successful people and encouraged her sons to emulate their behaviors, including reading. This led to behavior changes which had a profound effect on their education. In 1973, Ben Carson graduated from Yale University. He went on to receive his M.D. from the University of Michigan Medical School.

At the age of 33, Dr. Carson became the chief of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital, making him the youngest major division director in the hospital’s history. This would be among an extensive list of outstanding firsts for Dr. Carson. Dr. Carson’s accomplishments have earned him a place in medical history. He performed the first and only successful separation of craniopagus (Siamese) twins joined at the back of the head in 1987. He also performed the first fully successful separation of type-2 vertical craniopagus twins in 1997 in South Africa. In his career, Dr. Carson became a professor of neurosurgery, oncology, plastic surgery, and pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and directed pediatric neurosurgery at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center for over 29 years. He became the inaugural recipient of a professorship dedicated in his name in May 2008. He is now the Emeritus Benjamin S. Carson, Sr., M.D. and Dr. Evelyn Spiro, R.N. Professor of Pediatric Neurosurgery, having retired on June 30, 2013.