Alexander Lopez, MD, MS, was born and raised in Los Angeles, Calif. He attended the University of Southern California, where he double majored in neuroscience and biological science, earning departmental honors in neuroscience. He also completed his master’s in marine biology and environmental science, finishing undergrad and graduate school at USC within four years. He attended Meharry Medical College, where he was awarded many scholarships and nominated by his classmates to be inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society. While in medical school, Lopez assisted in starting a company to enhance laparoscopic surgical training, worked as a TEDmed Research Scholar, volunteered as a trans-buddy liaison and developed augmented reality neuroanatomical models for patient education. He spent a year between his third and fourth years of medical school as a Vanderbilt- and NIH-funded research scholar. He led a research project using artificial intelligence to auto-segment the cerebellum to better understand movement disorders. Lopez’s research interests include spine and functional neurosurgery. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with family and friends, cooking, rescue scuba diving, yoga, sailing, soccer and photography.