Dr. Alfredo Quiñones-Hinojosa is a brain surgeon and researcher at the world- renowned Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He attended San Joaquin Delta College, UC Berkeley, and Harvard Medical School. He performs nearly 250 brain surgeries a year and has saved countless lives. His CV, which includes honors and awards, research grants and experience, and publications, is 17 pages long. He’s even starred on a TV medical documentary series featuring stories that rival the drama on weekly installments of Grey’s Anatomy. Pretty impressive, to say the least.

	Images courtesy of Alfredo Quinones-Hinjosa
	Dr. Quiñones-Hinojosa of San Joaquin Delta College

It’s hard to believe that 22 years ago, Dr. Q, as he’s now known, risked his life to come to the United States in search of work to help support his impoverished family back in Mexico by jumping a border fence. It’s hard to believe that the same man who directs the Brain Tumor Surgery Program at Johns Hopkins lost his sister to diarrhea when she was 3. It’s hard to believe that the man who once watched Ben Hur to learn English is currently writing three books on brain surgery. It’s hard to believe, until you meet Dr. Q.

Affinity Magazine: What was life like when you were growing up in Mexicali, Mexico?
Dr. Quiñones-Hinojosa: I grew up very poor, but I was very happy. Most people think it was hard being poor but I was rich in other ways. I was surrounded by a loving family who embraced my wild imagination. Looking back, my childhood was just incredible; it gave me great perspective and has allowed me to identify with all kinds of people.

In 1987, when you were just 19 years old, had no money, and didn’t speak a word of English, you immigrated illegally to the United States by jumping the border fence that separates Mexicali and Calexico, California? Why did you take such a risk?
I came out of necessity. I believed that in the United States I could make something of myself. I also wanted to put food on my parents’ table.

What was the journey like?
I was full of adrenaline and thought I was invincible, so I just took off in a sprint. Once I landed on the other side of the 16-foot fence, the journey became an odyssey of sorts—one I am still on. I am still coming to terms with who I was, who I have become, and who I want to be.

How was your new life in California different from your life in Mexico?
I’m not going to sugar coat it; it was hard. I worked in the tomato and cotton fields pulling weeds, loading railroad freight cars with sulfur and fish lard, as a welder … I was all alone with no family for support. I lived in a tiny trailer that I rented for $300 a month.

	Dr. Quiñones-Hinojosa, age 4, in front of the gas station that his family owned in Mexicali, Mexico.

What made you decide to enroll at San Joaquin Delta College considering you had a college degree from Mexico?
I was an elementary school teacher in Mexico, and even though my degree wasn’t invalidated in the US, there was just a lack of knowledge. I realized that the only way to move up in society was through hard work and education. If I could find a way to combine those two things, I knew I’d be a winner. I knew the opportunities were there, that all I had to do was knock on the door, but it was difficult. I couldn’t stop working, which meant having to go to classes at night smelling like sulfur, but I persevered.

To what do you attribute your success at Delta?
The teachers who saw my potential made all the difference. I was like an uncut diamond, and they could see me shining through the dirty coveralls, steel- toe boots, and raw hands. Honestly, there is no question, I would not be where I am today without San Joaquin Delta College … but I had to knock.

What were some of your favorite classes?
I loved and excelled at math, because I didn’t have to be fluent in English to understand it. I also enjoyed science. I eventually became a teaching assistant, which helped when I applied to UC Berkeley. I also led workshops for other immigrants.

You studied psychology at Berkeley. When did you decide to go into medicine?
Until my last year at Berkeley, I thought I might go to law school. I had to go deep within myself and really think about what I wanted, but I had to let the decision come to me. Helping people has always been my motivation. My mentor, Hugo Mora, who ran the Hispanic Center of Excellence, looked at my CV and my grades and said right away that I could go to Harvard. I was looking at less competitive medical schools.

Not only did you attend Harvard, but you graduated cum laude and gave the commencement address. What was it like adjusting to Harvard and life on the East Coast? What were some of the challenges?
It was different and challenging, but I have always been a chameleon, so I adapted. The challenges weren’t physical or intellectual, although I was still learning English at the time, but more emotional. I had classmates who committed suicide because of the pressure, which added a level of complexity. Finding my own path was the biggest challenge.

You did an internship in general surgery and your residency in neurosurgery at the University of California, San Francisco—what was the transition from classroom learning to real-world learning like?
After years of studying, I was finally on call at San Francisco General. I got a call about a brain trauma and was on top of the world! Suddenly everything depended on me. That’s how you begin—you just do it.

Describe your first brain surgery.
It was a brain trauma at San Francisco General Hospital. It was a matter of life and death that came down to a split second. Unfortunately, the patient died, but I feel like he gave me a gift.

What has been your most memorable surgery to date?
They are all memorable. Imagine—my patients trust me with their brains—I get to touch their imaginations, their memories… . All brain surgeries make my heart palpitate. My hands used to pick weeds and now they perform surgeries on the most complex organ in the human body.

In addition to being a surgeon, you also teach. Does teaching make you a better surgeon?
I am a surgeon and a teacher, but I always let people teach me. I am always learning.

One of the things you’re known for is spending time with and getting to know your patients and their families. Why is making those connections a priority for you?
Patients and their families need to know and understand the risks involved with brain surgery. I’ve had patients tell my interns that they are lucky to work with me because of my approach as a physician rather than just a technician. I look my patients in the eye, touch their hands…but getting to know patients can be the most painful part, because a small percentage don’t make it.

What would you be doing for a living if you hadn’t pursued medicine?
I don’t know … I believe I was born to do what I do. I’m sure I would have been successful if I had chosen another path, but would anything make me happier? No.

You’ve won numerous awards, far too many to list. Is there one that is especially meaningful?
Awards, fame, and glory mean nothing if you don’t use them properly… . No one award is more important than another. I’m always thinking about how I can use what I’ve achieved to do more, to make the world a better place. My grandfather once said to me, “A fool with a good tool is still a fool.”

What is the most rewarding aspect of your work?
Coming out of the operating room and waiting for a patient to wake up perfectly fine is the hardest part of what I do. The most rewarding part is when I get to tell the family that everything is OK.

What do you do in your downtime? What do you do to relax?
I read, write, and watch movies with my family. I love to spend time with my wife and kids. Gaby is 10, David is 7, and Olivia is 3. My favorite thing is when we all end up in the same bed together. Sometimes I just watch them breathe;
I don’t take that for granted. I know that some people won’t be able to watch their children grow because brain cancer is such a devastating disease—I can’t tolerate that.

What was it like being part of ABC’s hit documentary series Hopkins?
They started filming for the show during my first year at Johns Hopkins. The crew followed about 150 people—doctors, nurses, patients. I was being filmed because of my specialty in neurosurgery, but I was just being myself. I had no idea I would end up the “A story,” the story that opens the whole show. The producers wanted to tell my story and loved my passion and enthusiasm. There is a hunger out there for people with real passion for what they do.

What do you think it will take for more people to have that kind of passion?
It’s not brain surgery; we need to educate the masses! San Joaquin Delta College was the gateway for me; it made everything possible.