She’s giving back to her city in a major way!
A doctor is making history as the first Black woman to lead the adult neurosurgery department at the Detroit Medical Center (DMC), Click On Detroit reports.
Dr. Sonia Eden is a Detroit native who always dreamed of being a surgeon. When she was 4-years-old, she can remember performing fake brain surgeries on her mother when she had a migraine. She became the first Black woman to train in neurological surgery and complete a residency at the University of Michigan. She then became the first woman of color at Yale University to major in mechanical engineering. For the last 12 years, she has been working in private practice in Kalamazoo. Now she is leaving to become the new Chief of Neurosurgery at the DMC Harper University Hospital, making history as the first Black woman to lead the adult neurosurgery department at the DMC.
“I have come to Detroit to invest in the city that invested heavily in me. This is where my heart is. This is where my home is. It means a lot to come back and help in the growth of a program and something great for the citizens of Detroit,” Eden told reporters.
Dr. Sonia Eden. Born and raised in Detroit, she is the first Black woman to lead the adult neurosurgery department at the Detroit Medical Center. #BlackHistoryMonth pic.twitter.com/5QtQe390Iq
— Brenda Lawrence (@RepLawrence) February 10, 2021
The Detroit doctor breaks several barriers, stressing that only 8 percent of neurosurgeons are women and just 33 of that 8 percent are Black. Black women neurosurgeons making up only 0.5 percent of the neurosurgeons in the entire United States. As the new leader of the DMC adult neurosurgery department, she hopes she can change that number while addressing health disparities in her hometown.
“I’m here to show every little girl out there that you can be whatever you want to be, you just set your mind forward and work hard, and you can do it,” Eden said.
Congratulations, Dr. Eden!
Photo Courtesy of Neurosurgery Of Kalamazoo