Ben Carson at UT Tyler
September 13, 2016
UT Tyler Office of Marketing and Communications
Noted Surgeon Ben Carson to Speak at UT Tyler
Follow @UTTyler TweetSeptember 13, 2016
Media Contact: Hannah Buchanan
Editor/Writer–Strategic Communications & Media Relations
Marketing and Communications
The University of Texas at Tyler
903.539.7196 (cell)
Author, surgeon, philanthropist and former GOP presidential candidate, Dr. Ben Carson, will be the featured speaker at The University of Texas at Tyler Distinguished Lecture Event, Susan Thomae-Morphew, Cowan Center executive director, announced.
Sponsored by Drs. Lawrence L. Anderson and Svetislava J. Vukelja and Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Z. Ornelas, Carson will speak at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 27. The post lecture reception is sponsored by Austin Bank.
"UT Tyler celebrates the 20th anniversary of the Cowan Center and the 35th anniversary of distinguished speakers on our campus. We are proud to present the brilliant and inspiring Dr. Ben Carson during this landmark season," Thomae-Morphew said.
Tickets are $37, $27 and $17, and can be purchased at the UT Tyler Cowan Center box office by calling 903.566.7424 or online at cowancenter.org. Box office hours are 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and one hour prior to each event.
Carson overcame his troubled youth in inner-city Detroit to become a neurosurgeon famous for successfully separating conjoined twins.
At one time a poor student, his mother's encouragement to read and believe in himself led him to graduate with honors from high school and earn a degree in psychology from Yale University. Once enrolled in the University of Michigan Medical School, he shifted his focus from psychiatry to neurosurgery, and his excellent hand-eye coordination and three-dimensional reasoning skills shaped him into a superior surgeon who would make medical history.
At 32, he was named director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital, a position he held for 29 years.
In 1987, Carson successfully separated twins joined at the back of the head, a procedure had typically always failed resulting in the death of one or both of the twins. He also performed the first intra-uterine procedure to relieve pressure on the brain of an infant.
Throughout his career, Carson has also been a much-in-demand public speaker and devoted much of his time to working with young people. He has written several books including a memoir, Gifted Hands, as well as motivational books that give insight to his personal philosophies on learning, success, hard work and religious faith.
His illustrious career has been recognized by the Library of Congress, which selected him as one of its Living Legends, and CNN and Time Magazine named him one of the nation's 20 foremost physicians and scientists. He has been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor and the Spingarn Medal, the NAACP's highest honor.
In 2015, Carson announced his bid for the Republican presidential nomination and was a leading candidate for months. He ended his campaign in March 2016.
One of the 14 campuses of the UT System, UT Tyler features excellence in teaching, research, artistic performance and community service. More than 80 undergraduate and graduate degrees are available at UT Tyler, which has an enrollment of more than 8,500 high-ability students. UT Tyler offers courses at its campuses in Tyler, Longview and Palestine as well as a location in Houston.