Ghana Medical Student To Become 1st African Female Neurosurgeon at John Hopkins. Read Her Story

Ghanaian-born medical student Nancy Abu-Bonsrah is set to become the first Black woman to be trained as a neurosurgeon at the prestigious Johns Hopkins medical school in the United States, the BBC reports.

On “Match Day” Friday, Abu-Bonsrah was accepted in to the residency program at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in the Neurosurgery department.

In medical circles, “Match Day” is the day medical students in the United States find out where they will be practicing their residency program, which can take anywhere from three to seven years.

Abu-Bonsrah made history last week for becoming the first Black female to be accepted to train as a neurosurgeon at the prestigious school.

Born to Seth and Georgina Abu-Bonsrah in Ghana, Nancy moved to the United States with her family at 15 years old. She attended Hammond High School in Columbia, Maryland, and then went to college at Mount St. Mary’s University, where she earned a degree in Biochemistry/Chemistry before applying to Johns Hopkins.
Nana Abu with her husband Kwabena Yemoah.

Describing her acceptance in to the program as a dream come true, Nancy says, “I am very much interested in providing medical care in underserved settings, specifically surgical care.

“I hope to be able to go back to Ghana over the course of my career to help in building sustainable surgical infrastructure. I will be matching in to Neurosurgery, a field that I am greatly enamored with, and hope to utilize those skills in advancing global surgical care.

“I want to be remembered for serving my community, whether it is through providing quality surgical care or helping mentor the next generation of surgeons.”

Nancy’s achievement makes her the first medical doctor in her family. She is happily married to Kwabena Yemoah who is also a medical student at Johns Hopkins.

In a Facebook post, Nancy added:

What a way to begin the Sabbath! I still haven’t processed it yet, but this is such an honor and a privilege to join the department at Hopkins to begin this next phase of my career. I’m so fortunate to have the continued support of my husband, family, friends and mentors. Kwabena and I are excited for what’s ahead!

The news of Nancy’s laudable achievement is coming just weeks after Face2Face Africa reported on Imelme Umana, a law student of Nigerian ancestry who recently became the first Black female president of the prestigious Harvard Law Review.

By Mark Babatunde
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