In a medical rite in the U.S. known as Match Day, where graduating fourth year medical students are given envelopes to discover where they have been matched to continue their medical training in a three to seven year residency program, Ghanaian Nancy Abu-Bonsrah was matched with Johns Hopkins Hospital to specialize in neurological surgery.
The match made her the first black female neurosurgeon at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. Abu-Bonsrah will spend seven more years at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, where she would get hands-on experience in her field.
Abu-Bonsrah further stated in the Johns Hopkins news release that she is very much interested in providing medical care in undeserved settings, specifically surgical care. The Ghanaian hopes to return to her country over the course of her career to assist in building surgical infrastructure.
Abu-Bonsrah spent the first 15 years of her life in Ghana and came to Maryland 11 years ago. She attended Hammond High School in Columbia, Maryland and went to college at Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, Maryland, after which, right after her undergrad, she went to Johns Hopkins.
Abu-Bonsrah attended Johns Hopkins University school of Medicine alongside her husband, and participated in the Match Day, which took place on the 17th of March. The event took place on the second floor of the Anne and Mike Armstrong Medical Education Building at 1600 McElderry St. in Baltimore, Maryland.
Her match to Johns Hopkins Hospital for neurological surgery is a dream come true for her. She says she wants to be remembered for serving her community either through providing quality surgical care or mentoring the next generation of surgeons.
We wish Nancy Abu-Bonsrah all the best in her medical career.