Acclaimed Mayo Clinic neurosurgeon Dr. Alfredo Quiñones-Hinojosa will receive the 2024 “Rock of the Community Award” at the Rotary Club of Ponte Vedra Beach’s annual Mineral City Celebration in April.
Quiñones-Hinojosa will be honored for his contributions to medical research and advances in the treatment of brain tumors. In addition to his groundbreaking work as a neurosurgeon, he is also the co-founder and president of Mission: BRAIN, a global nonprofit that provides critical medical services to patients in need in more than 25 countries.
“In presenting the Rock of the Community Award, the Ponte Vedra Beach Rotary Club seeks not only to honor a deserving individual, but also to inspire others to embrace a spirit of service,” President Jennifer Logue said. “From his accomplishments as a world-renowned neurosurgeon to his philanthropic efforts to provide care to underserved populations, ‘Dr. Q’ has made a profound positive impact both on First Coast residents and the wider world. We are thrilled to honor him as the 2024 Rock of the Community.”
Quiñones-Hinojosa’s personal story has been the focus of numerous articles, films and documentaries, including the Emmy Award-winning series “The Surgeon’s Cut.”
A former migrant farm worker, Quiñones-Hinojosa earned his BA with honors from the University of California-Berkeley before graduating cum laude from Harvard Medical School. He completed his neurosurgery residency and a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California-San Francisco before beginning his career as a neurosurgeon at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. He served as director of Johns Hopkins’ Brain Tumor Program until 2016, when he joined the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville.
He currently serves as chairman of the Department of Neurological Surgery, the William J. and Charles H. Mayo Professor, the Monica Flynn Jacoby Endowed Chair and the James C. and Sarah K. Kennedy Dean of Research for Mayo Clinic Florida.
To be held April 13 at the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall, the Mineral City Celebration is the signature annual fundraising event for the Rotary Club of Ponte Vedra Beach. The theme of this year’s event is The M*A*S*H BASH, honoring our military and medical first responders.
Proceeds from the event have benefited dozens of local nonprofit organizations and charities, including the Beaches Dial-a-Ride program, Mission House, BEAM, HEAL, K9s for Warriors, Wounded Warrior Project, United Way of St. Johns County, the Council on Aging and more.
For more information, go to mineralcitycelebration.com.
