There is a lot happening in America during the 2026 Black History Month but this is an achievement that is too incredible not to celebrate.
According to reporting by The Grio, for the very first time ever, five Black doctors are surgical residents at the esteem Johns Hopkins Hospital’s Trauma and Acute Care Surgery unit. The five history-making M.D.s include Dr. Valentine S. Alia (a second-year resident), Dr. Lawrence B. Brown (seventh-year resident), Dr. Ivy Mannoh (third-year resident), Dr. Zachary Obinna Enumah (ninth-year and critical care fellow), and Dr. Ifeoluwa “Ife” Shoyombo (third-year resident).
The Hopkins Surgery official Instagram page posted a message acknowledging the momentous occasion.
A historic moment for our program. For the first time in program history, our flagship Halsted service (Trauma & ACS) is led by an all-Black team of senior residents and PGY-2s. Black individuals comprise 13% of the U.S. population but only 6% of general surgeons nationwide. This #BlackHistoryMonth, we recognize this milestone while continuing the work to build a more representative surgical workforce.
ABCNews produced a feature segment about the five doctors, their backgrounds, and what it means to them to be living this extraordinary moment.
Says Dr. Lawrence B. Brown:
My parents are so proud. I am the first physician in my family, and I think it’s so impactful. Brown told ABC News. “It’s service. That’s what’s important to me. Equity has to remain at the forefront of how we deliver patient care, how we do research, how we scale programs up in our healthcare system.”
Says Dr. Enumah:
Growing up in Columbus, Georgia, in the 1990s, I watched my parents, my mom, a family medicine doc, my dad, a general surgeon, show up to serve patients every day,” Dr. Enumah told the outlet.
Our proud and heartfelt congratulations goes out to all of these hard-working stewards of medicine. While we hope that none of you ever need their expertise, we hope you have them at your bedside if you do.
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