Last Friday, March 17 was “Match Day,” the day when medical students learn where they will complete their residencies. While most students were merely hoping to be paired with a good program in a decent location, Nancy Abu-Bonsrah was making history.
It has been 30 years since the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine’s neurosurgical department started accepting residents. And in that time, Nancy is the first Black woman to be accepted into the program.
The program, ranked second in the country, accepts just two-five residents each year. Not only did Abu-bonsrah secure one of those spots, so did her husband Kwabena Yamoah.
Abu-bonsrah, who also attended Johns Hopkins medial school, was born and raised in Ghana until she was 15-years-old. She has lived in the United States for the past 11 years and is already thinking about how she will put her education and expertise to work.
“I am very much interested in providing medical care in underserved settings, specifically surgical care,” Abu-Bonsrah said in a statement. “I hope to be able to go back to Ghana over the course of my career to help in building sustainable surgical infrastructure.”
Abu-bonsrah said, “”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. Unique thing: Everything is special about the match. It will be a dream come true,” she said.
