Alfredo Quiñones-Hinojosa

Quiñones was born in Mexicali, Baja California, México.[2] In 1987, at the age of 19, Quiñones-Hinojosa went to the United States.[3][4][5] 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.[6]

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.[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.[6] 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 Alvarez-Buylla.

Quiñones began his career at Johns Hopkins 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 Lab. 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 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 to 2016, his team published over 150 scientific articles and received 14 funding grants.[5] 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.[7] He has been actively involved in fundraisers 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.[8]

In April 2016, Quiñones was hired by Mayo Clinic in Florida as its William J. and Charles H. Mayo Professor and chairman of Neurosurgery. He left Johns Hopkins and started work at Mayo Clinic Florida in Jacksonville. His clinical work includes:

• Surgical treatment of primary and metastatic brain tumors with emphasis in motor and speech mapping during surgery
• Pituitary tumors and skull base tumors using transsphenoidal endonasal and minimally invasive approaches
• Providing personalized medicine to improve patient outcomes.

In addition to his clinical activities, Quinones-Hinojosa leads NIH-funded research to find a cure for brain cancer. His research focuses on brain tumors and cell migration, healthcare disparities for minorities and clinical outcomes for neurosurgical patients. He is also researching new techniques in neurosurgery such as the use of nanotechnology and focal beam radiotherapy, the development of new imaging software to identify areas of tumors, and the development of innovative and minimally invasive approaches to brain tumor resection in the systemic treatment of solid tumors.

Quiñones is the author of more than 50 book chapters, and has authored several textbooks on neurosurgical techniques and stem cell biology.[9] In 2011, Quiñones edited Core Techniques in Operative Neurosurgery[10] 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[11]. 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.[12] 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.[13] 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[14]
• 1991 San Joaquin Delta Community College, Stockton, California - Transfer core curriculum to the University of California[14]
• 1994 B.A. University of California, Berkeley, California - Highest Honors[14]
• 1999 M.D. Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts - Cum Laude[14]
• 2000 University of California, San Francisco, California (General Surgery) - Most Valuable Intern Award[14]
• 2004 University of California, San Francisco, California (Residency - Neurosurgery) - Howard Naffziger Neurological Surgery Award[14]
• 2006 Howard Hughes Institute - Physician-Scientist Career Award[14]
• 2006 Association of American Medical Colleges - Herbert Nickens Award[14]
• 2006 American Society of Clinical Oncology Foundation - Career Development Award[14]
• 2006 American College of Surgeon - Franklin Martin Faculty Research Award[14]
• 2006 Johns Hopkins University - Passano Physician Scientist Award[14]
• 2007 Johns Hopkins Hospital - Department of Neurosurgery - Faculty Teaching Award (Richard J. Otenasek)[14]
• 2007 Robert Wood Johnson Award[14]
• 2007 Popular Science Magazine - Brilliant 10 Scientists Award[15]
• 2007 Baltimore Magazine - US Top Docs[16]
• 2008 Olender Foundation - America's Role Model Award[17]
• 2010 Science & Engineering Festival - Nifty Fifty Scientist[18]
• 2011 Baltimore Magazine - Baltimore Top Docs[19]
• 2012 Named as Super Doctor[20]
• 2012 Recipient of Ohtli Award[21]
• 2015 VII Premio Iberoamericano Cortes de Cádiz Surgery Award, Spain[22]
• 2015 Forbes, World's Most Creative Mexicans[23]
• 2018 Doctorate honoris cause, by University of Santander - UDES - Bucaramanga, COLOMBIA

Quiñones stars in the second episode of The Surgeon's Cut, produced by BBC Studios’ The Science Unit for Netflix which was released globally on 9th of December 2020.[24]

In the Immigration episode of Adam Ruins Everything, Quiñones-Hinojosa's name and picture (wearing a hat that says "Dr. Q" on it,) is featured in a lineup of some of the Mexican-American immigrants who have improved the United States.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa.

• The New Website of Dr Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa, May 2012
• All the videos of Dr Quinones-Hinojosa, May 2012
• "Becoming Dr. Q: My Journey from Migrant Farm Worker to Brain Surgeon" - book excerpt
• Alfredo Quiñones-Hinojosa Short Talk: "How I Became a Scientist"
• Alfredo Quiñones-Hinojosa's Seminar: "Brain Tumors and Stem Cells"
• An 'American' Success Story, May 19, 2007
• The Amazing Doctor Q, February 11, 2009
• Once a migrant worker, today he’s a brain surgeon, updated 7/23/2008 9:51:16 AM ET
• From Farmhand to Brain Surgeon Posted 07.01.08
• The American Dream: Dr. Quiñones' Incredible Journey, June 26, 2008
• Appearances on C-SPAN
  • C-SPAN Q&A interview with Quinones-Hinojosa, October 16, 2011