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Alfredo Quiñones-Hinojosa (also known as "Dr. Q") is a physician, author, and researcher. He practices neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital and runs a basic science research lab out of Johns Hopkins Hospital. Quiñones is Director of the Brain Tumor Surgery Program at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Director of the Pituitary Surgery Program at Johns Hopkins Hospital and the Director of the Brain Tumor Stem Cell Laboratory at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.[1] In addition to being a professor of neurosurgery, neuroscience, oncology, and cellular and molecular medicine, Quiñones is also the author of the newly released book, Becoming Dr Q.

Early years

Quiñones, the oldest of six children, was born in a small village outside of Mexicali.[2] In 1987, at the age of 19, Quiñones-Hinojosa jumped the border fence between Mexico and the United States.[3][4][5] Once arriving in United States, Quinones could not speak English and worked on farms outside of Fresno, California.[1][6] As a farm hand, he saved enough money to take English classes.[7]

Education

Quiñones-Hinojosa started his education at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, California, and completed his bachelor's degree in psychology with the highest honors at University of California, Berkeley.[4] He then went on to receive his medical degree from Harvard Medical School, where he graduated with honors. He also became a US citizen during this time.[7] He then completed his residency in neurosurgery at the University of California, San Francisco, where he also completed a postdoctoral fellowship in developmental and stem cell biology.