This article has been updated with additional details.
Ben Carson, a Republican presidential candidate and University alum, will visit the University’s Medical School before two campaign stops in Michigan on Wednesday.
Mary Masson, a spokesperson for the University of Michigan Health System, said Wednesday evening that the visit, which was closed to press, included a short tour of the medical school as well as a meeting with Medical School leaders and students.
The visit was closed to press specifically by request of the University, according to the Carson campaign.
Carson, a neurosurgeon by training, graduated from the Medical School in 1977 and gained prominence as the first surgeon to successfully separate conjoined twins in 1987.
In addition to being a University alum, he has strong roots in the state — he was born and raised in Detroit, and launched his campaign earlier this year in the city.
Currently fourth in the polls at 13.8 percent, according to Real Clear Politics, Carson has drawn controversy in recent months over statements on a variety of issues, including gun policy and whether a Muslim can be president.
The main focus of the Carson campaign’s Wednesday stop in the state are two campaign events, one open to the public and one private.
Carson is slated to hold a public town hall at 2:30 p.m. at Eastern Michigan University to announce a new health care plan aimed at providing a policy alternative to the Affordable Care Act. He is also scheduled to attend a campaign fundraiser at the Ann Arbor-Ypsilanti Marriott hotel.
Carson also visited the state in September to speak at Spring Arbor University. During his speech, he touched on a number of social issues as well as the importance of education, emphasizing the transformative nature of education.
A significant portion of the current GOP field — including frontrunner candidate Donald Trump and other candidates at the top of the polls — has also visited Michigan in past months.