Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa

Alfredo Quiñones-Hinojosa (also known as "Dr. Q") is a neurosurgeon, author, and researcher. Currently, he is the "William J. and Charles H. Mayo Professor" and Chair of Neurologic Surgery and runs a basic science research lab at the Mayo Clinic Jacksonville in Florida. In recognition of his work, Dr. Quiñones-Hinojosa has received many awards and honors, including being named as one of the 100 most influential Hispanics in the U.S. by Hispanic Business Journal in 2008; as 2014 Neurosurgeon of the Year by Voices Against Brain Cancer, where he was also recognized with the Gary Lichtenstein Humanitarian Award; and by the 2015 Forbes magazine as one of Mexico’s most brilliant minds in the world.
In addition, he is an editorial board member and reviewer for several prominent publications. Most notably, Dr. Quiñones-Hinojosa is the editor-in-chief for one of the most well-respected and widely read operative neurosurgical textbooks in the world – Schmidek and Sweet’s Operative Neurosurgical Techniques (6th edition). As well, he is one of the authors for Controversies in Neuro-Oncology, which was awarded first prize by the British Medical Association. Dr. Quiñones-Hinojosa also has published an autobiography, Becoming Dr. Q, about his journey from migrant farm worker to neurosurgeon, and recently Disney with Plan B Entertainment productions announced that his inspirational life story is going to be featured in a movie.
Dr. Quiñones-Hinojosa is co-founder and serves as president of Mission: BRAIN, Bridging Resources and Advancing International Neurosurgery, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation.

Quiñones, the oldest of five children, was born in a small village outside of Mexicali. In 1987, at the age of 19, Quiñones-Hinojosa crossed the border fence between Mexico and the United States. Once arriving in the United States, Quiñones could not speak English and worked on farms outside of Fresno, California. As a farm hand, he saved enough money to take English classes.

Quiñones-Hinojosa started his education at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, California. He completed his bachelor's degree in psychology with the highest honors at University of California, Berkeley. 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. 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 at the laboratory of Professor Arturo Álvarez-Buylla.

Quiñones began his career at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where he became a Professor of Neurosurgery and Oncology, Neurology, and Cellular and Molecular Medicine and director of the Brain Tumor Stem Cell Biology. His clinical interests focus on the surgical treatment of primary and metastatic brain tumors, with an emphasis on motor and speech mapping during surgery. He is expert in treating intradural spinal tumors as well as brainstem and eloquent brain tumors in adults with the use of neurophysiological monitoring during surgery. He further specializes in the treatment of patients with pituitary tumors using a transphenoidal endonasal approach with surgical navigation and/or endoscopic techniques. He has a strong interest in treating patients with skull base tumors and the use of radiosurgery as an adjunct to the treatment of these lesions.

Quiñones conducts both clinical and basic science research. From 2005-2016, his team published over 150 scientific articles and received 14 funding grants. Quiñones conducts numerous research efforts on elucidating the role of stem cells in the origin of brain tumors and the potential role stem cells can play in fighting brain cancer and regaining neurological function. He has been actively involved in fund raisers for brain cancer research. He continues to participate at half-marathons with his research team and some of his own patients to raise money for cancer research.

Quiñones is the author of more than 50 book chapters and has authored several textbooks on neurosurgical techniques and stem cell biology. In 2011, Quiñones edited Core Techniques in Operative Neurosurgery and published his autobiography, Becoming Dr Q: My Journey from Migrant Farm Worker to Brain Surgeon, which went on to earn him an International Latino Book Award in 2012. In 2012, Quiñones was the lead editor of the 6th edition of Schmidek and Sweet's Operative Neurosurgical Techniques, one of the world's preeminent textbooks of neurosurgery. He will also serve as the lead editor for the 7th edition of Schmidek and Sweet's Operative Neurosurgical Techniques. In 2013, Quiñones published Controversies in Neuro-Oncology: Best Evidence Medicine for Brain Tumor Surgery with Dr. Shaan Raza. The British Medical Association awarded Controversies in Neuro-Oncology first prize in Oncology in 2014. Quiñones is currently working on a first Video-Atlas of Neurosurgery that will be published in 2016.

1986 B.A. Escuela Normal Urbana Federal Fronteriza, Mexicali, Mexico - Social Sciences and Humanities, Multidisciplinary teaching license
1991 San Joaquin Delta Community College, Stockton, California - Transfer core curriculum to the University of California
1994 B.A. University of California, Berkeley, California - Highest Honors
1999 M.D. Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts - Cum Laude
2000 University of California, San Francisco, California (General Surgery) - Most Valuable Intern Award
2004 University of California, San Francisco, California (Residency - Neurosurgery) - Howard Naffziger Neurological Surgery Award
2006 Howard Hughes Institute - Physician-Scientist Career Award
2006 Association of American Medical Colleges - Herbert Nickens Award
2006 American Society of Clinical Oncology Foundation - Career Development Award
2006 American College of Surgeon - Franklin Martin Faculty Research Award
2006 Johns Hopkins University - Passano Physician Scientist Award
2007 Johns Hopkins Hospital - Department of Neurosurgery - Faculty Teaching Award (Richard J. Otenasek)
2007 Robert Wood Johnson Award
2007 Popular Science Magazine - Brilliant 10 Scientists Award
2007 Baltimore Magazine - US Top Docs
2007 Hispanic Business Journal - Top 100 Most influential Hispanic in the U.S.
2008 American Association of Neurological Surgeons - AANS Bittner Award
2008 Merage Foundation - National Leadership in Science and Medicine Award
2008 ANS/CNS - Skull Base Award
2008 Olender Foundation - America's Role Model Award
2009 California Community College - Distinguished Alumni Award
2010 Science & Engineering Festival - Nifty Fifty Scientist
2011 South Vermont College - Honorary Doctor of Human Letters
2011 Baltimore Magazine - Baltimore Top Docs
2012 Lackawanna College, Scranton, Pennsylvania - Doctor of Humane Letters Honoris Causa
2012 Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD - Promoted to full Professor of Neurosurgery and Oncology, Neuroscience and Cellular and Molecular Medicine.
2012 Prize "Maximiliano Ruiz Castaneda" (as co-worker of Dr. Oscar Gonzalez-Perez).
2012 Commencement Address at Lackawanna College, Scranton, Pennsylvania
2012 Recipient of International Latino Book Award: “Becoming Dr. Q: My Journey from Migrant Farm Worker to Brain Surgeon”
2012 Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute 2012 Chair’s Award
2012 Honorary Professor at the University of the Tecnologico de Monterrey, Monterrey Mexico
2012 Named as Super Doctor
2012 Recipient of Ohtli Award
2012 Honorary Speaker at Society of Neurological Surgeons annual meeting, “Diversity”, Atlanta, Georgia
2012 Distinguished Public lecture at University of Arizona, “Bridging the Gap in the Fight Against Brain Cancer: From the Operating Room to the Laboratory”
2013 Nifty Fifty scientist at USA Science & Engineering Festival
2013 Commencement Speaker at 137th Commencement, Johns Hopkins University
2013 Commencement Speaker at UC Irvine
2013 Commencement Speaker at National University
2013 Presenter at Guadalajara Book Fair for “Becoming Dr. Q”
2013 Presenter at La Ciudad de las Ideas; Puebla, Mexico
2014 Keynote Speaker at “Dreamers” Conference, Notre Dame University
2014 Recipient of Voices Against Brain Cancer Neurosurgeon of the Year Award
2014 Distinguished Guest at ABC Hospital; Mexico
2014 Nifty Fifty Scientist at USA Science & Engineering Festival
2014 Maryland Sister States Award
2014 Voices Against Brain Cancer; Gary Lichtenstein Humanitarian Award
2015 Commencement Speaker at Dominican University
2015 Commencement Speaker at Ponce Health Sciences University
2015 Commencement Speaker at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School
2015 Keynote Speaker at 2015 Comex Convention, Cancun Mexico
2015 Keynote Speaker at XVII International Congress Advances in Medicine at Hospital Civil de Guadalajara
2015 VII Premio Iberoamericano Cortes de Cádiz Surgery Award, Spain
2015 Forbes, World's Most Creative Mexicans
2015 Invited Keynote Speaker at NIH Graduate Student Research Symposium
2015 Hospital Civil, "Updates in Medicine"
2015 Commencement Speaker at Notre Dame University 2015 VII Premio Iberoamericano Cortes de Cádiz de Cirugía, Spain
2015 Galardón a la “Trayectoria Inspiradora” Instituto Mexicano de Mejores Prácticas Corporativas
2016 Commencement Speaker at Loyola University Chicago
2016 Commencement Speaker at College of Marin

2016 Premio ALPHA - Universidad Anáhuac México