The Catalyst Issue 19 | August 2014 | Page 15

COLLABORATION with caregivers and patients to create healthier lives SPOTLIGHT ON: Jason H. Huang, MD Chair, Department of Neurosurgery, Scott & White Healthcare ivotal moments shape one’s life, and the events that tell the story of Scott & White’s new chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery are compelling. Important mentors, life-changing opportunities, and political unrest half a world away have influenced his journey to the top. It was the late 1980s in Tiananmen Square in the heart of Beijing, China, the setting of what would be known as one of the most infamous massacres in modern history. College student Jason Huang joined thousands of his fellow students in protests against the Chinese government, voicing the need for government accountability, freedom of speech, and political and economic reform. Because of his involvement, Dr. Huang was denied a university degree and blacklisted from finding employment in China. Eventually, Dr. Huang was able to enroll in a local acupuncture school, and he found the practice fascinating. P One proud soldier. Deployed to Iraq in 2008, Dr. Huang served as a physician for five months. No stranger to violence, he treated many battlefield wounds, including traumatic brain injuries and spinal cord injuries. sw.org | August 14 THE CATALYST 15