Our Medical Team

Dr. Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa is the Associate Professor of Neurological Surgery, Oncology, Neuroscience, Cellular, Molecular Medicine and the Director of the Brain Tumor Program at Johns Hopkins Bayview campus.

Although his title is honorable and very distinguished it was not always that way. Dr. Q, as he is known by his colleagues, started from very humble beginnings. He comes from a poverty stricken family of which he is the oldest of six children. Dr. Quinones and his family lived in a home that had no electricity or running water. At the innocent age of 6 months, his sister died from diarrhea.

In 1987 at the age of 19, Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa arrived in the United States from his home town Mexicalli, Mexico. He was captured on his first attempt to cross the border but, that didn't stop him. A few hours later he tried again and was successful. Quinones had no money but his dreams for a better life and to make a difference outweighed his financial situation. In California he found his first job in a field picking tomatoes. He also worked as a painter and a welder. At this time he lived in an unsound trailer that he purchased for 300 dollars. Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa knew that despite his current situation, there were bigger things in-store for him. He enrolled in a community college where, he took English classes. From there Quinones enrolled himself into the University of California at Berkley as a psychology major. He soon realized that he was ready for medical school. In 1996 Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa went to Harvard Medical School. After sitting in awe, seeing surgeon Peter Black operate on the brain of a young patients, he realized that he wanted to become a brain surgeon.

Dr. Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa now spends all of his time fighting brain cancer at Johns Hopkins Hospital. His time is divided between surgery,laboratory research and his family. He uses motor and speech mapping during surgery. In the laboratory his focus is on the role that stem cells play in the origin of brain tumors and their latent abilities in fighting brain cancer and regaining neurological function. His passion in life is to one day find a cure for brain cancer.