Internationally Renowned Brain Surgeon and Former Migrant Farm Worker "Dr. Q" to Speak at 2013 NAFSA Conference of International Educators

65^th Annual Conference to Feature Prominent Peace and Justice Advocates in St. Louis

WASHINGTON, Jan. 23, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Renowned brain surgeon Dr. Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa, who first came to the United States at the age of 19 as a migrant farm worker, will address the NAFSA: Association of International Educators' Annual Conference and Expo in May 2013.

Before becoming one of America's top neurosurgeons, "Dr. Q" first worked as a cotton picker, painter, and welder in California after leaving his home in Mexico. After working odd jobs as an undocumented immigrant, he went on to teach himself English, earn a degree in psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, obtain U.S. citizenship, and graduate from Harvard Medical School in 1999. In 2005, he joined Johns Hopkins University where he now leads cutting-edge research to cure brain cancer.

"The United States has a rich history of immigrants contributing to our communities, businesses, and economy, and Dr. Q is a real-life example of why we should not limit opportunities for aspiring Americans today," said Marlene M. Johnson, executive director and CEO of NAFSA: Association of International Educators.

Dr. Quinones-Hinojosa's story is documented in his autobiographical memoir, "Becoming Dr. Q: My Journey from Migrant Farm Worker to Brain Surgeon." He is director of the Brain Tumor Surgery Program at Johns Hopkins Bayview, surgical director of the Pituitary Surgery Program at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, and is the lead editor for Schmidek and Sweet's Operative Neurosurgical Techniques, the world's preeminent encyclopedia of neurosurgery.

The NAFSA annual conference features leading advocates for peace and justice including: Nobel Peace Prize winner and former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, former Costa Rican President and Nobel Peace Prize winner Oscar Arias, and former U.S. Marine and peace activist Rye Barcott.

Learn more about the speakers at www.nafsa.org/ac13plenaries.

About the Conference
With more than 8,000 international educators from 120 countries, the NAFSA annual conference is the world's largest gathering of professionals in international education. It is the premier place to interact with international education experts, explore partnerships, and discover valuable data-driven insights and trends that will impact higher education around the world.

More than 200 sessions over four days are designed for all levels of experience and in every specialty of international education. The International Education Expo Hall provides networking opportunities with more than 400 exhibitors from colleges and universities, study abroad and intensive-English programs, embassies and government agencies.

The 2013 NAFSA Annual Conference and Expo will be held from May 26-31 at the America's Center in St. Louis.

Learn more at www.nafsa.org/conference.

About NAFSA
With nearly 10,000 members, NAFSA: Association of International Educators is the world's largest nonprofit association dedicated to international education. Visit us at www.nafsa.org. To learn more about our advocacy efforts on behalf of international education, visit www.ConnectingOurWorld.org and @ConnectOurWorld on Twitter.

SOURCE NAFSA: Association of International Educators