Tag: physicians

From the O.R. to the Oval Office- 3 Docs Who Ran- Part 2

This concludes a two part series about physicians who ran for U.S. President in 2016.

If you missed part 1, here is the link.

Randall “Rand” Paul, M.D., Republican

  1. Dr. Paul graduated from Duke University Medical School.
  2. He was elected Senator from Kentucky in 2010.
  3. He is married, has 3 children, and coached his children in Little League baseball, soccer and basketball.
  4. His father Dr. Ron Paul , an obstetrician/gynecologist, has served in the House of Representatives, and also ran for President.
  5. He has served as President of the Lions Club International .
  6. He provides eye surgery free of charge to people unable to pay in his home state of Kentucky.
  7. He has travelled around the world as a volunteer eye surgeon, providing care to people unable to pay; a recent trip was to Guatemala. He has received awards for his humanitarian work.
  8. Dr. Paul has written books, including Our Presidents & Their Prayers: Proclamations of Faith by America’s Leaders 

Benjamin Carson, M.D., Republican

These notes about Dr. Carson are taken from his 1992 autobiography

Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story
Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story
  1. Dr. Carson’s mother, Sonya, one of 24 children,  married at age 13 ;her husband abandoned her when Dr. Carson and his brother were young boys. An uneducated illiterate woman, she taught herself to read, and required her sons to read books weekly.
  2. While he was growing up, his family depended on food stamps to have enough to eat.
  3. At age 8, after hearing a missionary doctor speak at his church, he decided to become a physician.
  4. He had such poor vision, he was almost legally blind. His grades improved when he started wearing glasses.
  5. As a teenager, he had such a quick and fiery temper, her feared he might kill someone.
  6. Both he and his brother were in JROTC while in high school; his brother served in the Navy during the Vietnam War.
  7. In high school he played clarinet and developed a love of classical music, something he would share with his future wife Candy.
  8. He chose to attend Yale over Harvard, because Yale beat Harvard in the GE College Bowl television program.
  9. During college he worked at the Ford Auto plant and at Chrysler.
  10. He and Candy lived in Australia for one year so he could train in neurosurgery there- and his first child was born in Australia that year.
  11. His third child was born at home- and he did the unplanned, quick delivery while his mother dialed 911 for help.

Neurosurgical Notes

Neurosurgery is the surgical specialty that deals with the nervous system, including the brain and spinal cord. Long before Dr. Carson became involved in politics, he was known for his pioneering work in brain surgery. He discusses this work in his autobiography, which was also made into a movie of the same name. In the movie Cuba Gooding Jr. played Dr. Carson.

Dr. Carson specialized in two difficult and dangerous types of surgeries.

In hemispherectomy  half of the brain is surgically removed as a treatment for severe, intractable seizures. It is only used as a last resort, is not always successful and can cause paralysis on one side of the body. Dr.Carson was known as an expert in this surgery.

Conjoined or Siamese twins joined at the head are rare, occurring in 1 in 2 million births.

“In 1987, Carson attracted international attention by performing a surgery to separate 7-month-old occipital craniopagus twins in Germany.

Patrick and Benjamin Binder were born joined at the head. Their parents contacted Carson, who went to Germany to consult with the family and the boys’ doctors. Because the boys were joined at the back of the head, and because they had separate brains, he felt the operation could be performed successfully.

Gifted Hands movie
Gifted Hands- The Ben Carson Story movie version starring Cuba Gooding Jr.

Exploring the HEART of Health

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Dr. Aletha

From the O.R. to the Oval Office- 3 Docs Who Ran

Three medical doctors ran for President of the United States in 2016. Read about one of them in this article from a two part series.

updated June 27, 2026

The 2016 United States Presidential campaign was one of the most unexpected, unpredictable, and contentious races in history, starting with the individual parties.

The qualifications for President are fairly simple

U.S. Constitution Requirements for a Presidential Candidate:
  • Be at least 35 years old
  • Be a natural-born citizen of the United States
  • Been a resident of the United States for 14 years

How to become President inforgraphic
The Presidential pathway from USA.gov

The election process is anything but simple as illustrated by the above graphic. The candidates must first campaign for votes in the states’ primaries or caucuses to become their party’s choice at the convention.

In the general election, voters are technically voting for electors to the Electoral College, which casts its states votes for President.So it is possible with the candidate with the fewest popular votes gets the most electoral votes and becomes president.

Holding the office of the President is our country’s highest honor but the job of president has become so thankless I wonder why anyone wants to do it. But I am grateful that people volunteer for and seek the position, and in 2016 three of the candidates were physicians.

This post was originally a non-partisan look at those candidates, and still is.

In medical jargon, progress notes are Records kept by health care workers to indicate the course of the patient’s care

I have written some “progress notes” about each candidate that will give you a glimpse into their professional, personal, and political lives.

statue of George Washington in Manhattan
statue of General George Washington, first President of the United States of America – New York City

Jill Stein, M.D.- Green Party  

  1. Dr. Stein graduated from Harvard Medical School.
  2. Her hobbies include writing and performing music.
  3. She ran for President in 2012, also on the Green Party ticket.
  4. She is a physician’s wife, mother, internal medicine physician/teacher and “environmental-health advocate.”
  5. She developed the “Healthy People, Healthy Planet” teaching program.
  6. She has been interviewed on the Today Show, 20/20 and Fox News network.
  7. In Massachusetts she ran for Governor, State Representative and Secretary of State.
  8. She co-founded the Massachusetts Coalition for Healthy Communities, a non-profit organization.
  9. She likes to walk with her Great Dane Bandita.
  10. She has advocated for several environmental issues in her home state-
  • Mercury contamination of fish
  • The “Filthy Five” coal plants clean up
  • Mercury and dioxin contamination from burning trash
The Presidential Oval Office at the Reagan Library
a replica of the White House Oval Office at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library

Part 2 of this article continues here.

I’d love for you to follow this blog and follow me on social media.

I share information and inspiration to help you transform challenges into opportunities for learning and growth.

Add your name to the subscribe box to be notified of new posts by email. Click the link to read the post and browse other content. It’s that simple. No spam.

I enjoy seeing who is new to Watercress Words. When you subscribe, I will visit your blog or website. Thanks and see you next time.

Dr. Aletha