A local doctor has just returned from Iraq, serving as one of only two neurosurgeons in the entire country treating wounded soldiers.“Those are the mental images that are hard for people to forget.” Images we watched on TV, Dr. Jason Huang lived it. He was a student who took part in the Tiananmen Square protests he was jailed and prevented from ever pursuing his dream of medicine. He escaped to the US, worked as a busboy earning full scholarships to Amherst and Johns Hopkins University. “I worked very hard but this country treated me very well.” When the twin towers fell, Dr. Huang decided it was time to give something back. While a medical resident, he enlisted in the reserves. As a neurosurgeon now at the U of R Medical Center, his skills are desperately needed. In January Dr. Haung was deployed to Iraq’s largest military hospital for three months, 50 miles outside of Baghdad. “The injuries are more devastating than in a civilian practice. We see MVAs and gunshot wounds but nothing compares to blast injuries.” At times he would work every day performing brain surgery sometimes for more than 24 hours without a break. Blast injuries from rockets and bombs were all too common. “Some call this a signature injury of the war. While some are close to the blast at the point of explosion they have sever head injuries but people who are far away from the blast, it can cause damage to the brain.” These brain injuries can't be detected on a CAT scan, but they cause severe memory and cognitive deficits. Dr. Huang says helping these men as been career highlight, humbling and rewarding. ”The soldiers were some of the best patients I ever treated. They were young, motivated and never complained.” For his work Dr. Huang received the army commendation medal for providing world-class care to over 1,200 soldiers resulting in a 98 percent survival rate. Strong Memorial Hospital neurosurgeon saves lives in Iraq Rochester Democrat and Chronicle all 2 news articles