According to reporting by The Green, for the very first time ever, five Black doctors are surgical residents at the esteemed Johns Hopkins Hospital's Trauma and Acute Care Surgery unit. The five historic MDs include Drs. Valentine S. Alia (a second-year resident), Dr. Lawrence B. Brown (seventh-year resident), Dr. Ivy Mannoh (third year resident), Dr. Zachary Obinna Enumah (nine-year-old and critical care), and Dr. Ifeoluwa “Ife” Shoyearyombo (third).
Hopkins Surgery's official Instagram page posted a message acknowledging the momentous occasion.
“A historic moment for our program,” it read. “For the first time in program history, our flagship Halsted service (Trauma & ACS) is led by an all-Black team of seniors and PGY-2s. Black individuals comprise 13% of the American population, but only 6% of general surgeons nationwide. This #BlackHistoryMonth, we recognize this milestone while continuing the work of building a more representative surgery.
ABC News produced a feature segment about the five doctors, their backgrounds, and what it means for them to live this extraordinary moment.
“My parents are so proud. I'm the first doctor in my family, and I think it's so influential,” said Dr. Lawrence B. BrownABC News. “It's service. That's what's important to me. Equity needs to stay at the forefront of how we deliver patient care, how we do research, how we scale up programs in our health system.”
“Growing up in Columbus, Georgia, in the 1990s, I watched my parents, my mother, a family physician, my father, a general surgeon, show up every day to serve patients,” said Dr. Enumah the outlet.
Our proud and heartfelt congratulations go out to all these hardworking stewards of medicine. While we hope that none of you ever need their expertise, we hope that you have them at your bedside if you do.
