Medical Student
University of Chapel Hill Medical School
Benjamin S. Succop, Jr. is a second year medical student and Wilder medical scholar at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine. He completed his undergraduate studies at Duke University as a member of the Benjamin N. Duke Merit Scholarship Program, graduating magna cum laude with a B.S. in Chemistry and in Neuroscience with honors distinction, with induction into the Duke chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. Ben's research endeavors began at Duke studying rodent models of addiction using cyclic voltammetry, which consisted of surgical implantation of microelectrodes in areas of the rodent mesolimbic pathway to measure local efflux of dopamine and other neurotransmitters in response to various exogenous addictive agents. This experience inspired an interest in neurosurgery, and since coming to Chapel Hill Ben has conducted investigation into a wide range of clinical neurosurgical projects, examples of which include the material presented here in day one MRI finds post DBS implantation, the use of automated translation devices in clinic, and novel applications of internal jugular vein compression, and the evaluation of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) treatment in patients with lumbar pathology. In addition to his passion for neuroscience and neurosurgery, Ben is invested in improving healthcare access, being named an NC Albert Schweitzer Fellow for building a social services referral and tracking program at the student run Bloomer Hill free primary care clinic. His ultimate aspirations are to unite a career in functional neurosurgery with advocacy for increased access to and equity in neurosurgical care.