Dr Penelope Tettey Adinku: Meet Ghana’s First Female Cardiothoracic Surgeon
- Dr Penelope Baaba Tettey Adinku made history in May 2022 when she performed a complex open-heart surgery on a six-year-old girl
- The Wesley Girls High School girl trained at KNUST and later specialised at the National Cardiothoracic Centre at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital
- Dr Adinku once dreamed of becoming a children's book author before medicine became her calling through her family's influence
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Dr Penelope Baaba Tettey Adinku, a cardiothoracic surgeon at the National Cardiothoracic Centre in Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, has etched her name into Ghanaian medical history as the country's first female heart surgeon.
Source: UGC
Her landmark moment came in May 2022, when she successfully performed open-heart surgery on a six-year-old girl living with tetralogy of Fallot, a serious congenital heart condition.
Shortly after, she completed her Fellowship training with the West African College of Surgeons and was named the Best Candidate in Cardiothoracic Surgery at the 2022 Fellowship Examinations, officially becoming the first Ghanaian woman to hold that distinction.
From children's books to the operating theatre
Few would have predicted this path for Dr Adinku as a child. By her own account, she was far more drawn to storytelling than science, and once held a quiet ambition to write books for children.
Medicine entered the picture largely through her family. Her father, Mr Ambrose Tettey, is a pharmacist, and her mother works as a teacher.
When her immediate older sister enrolled in medical school, Dr Adinku watched that journey unfold up close and, encouraged by her parents, eventually chose to follow a similar route.
She earned her MBChB from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) before going on to complete a PhD in Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of Ghana.
She also holds a certificate in Health Leadership from the University of Washington and is an alumna of Wesley Girls High School.
The Facebook post below contains more details on the achievements of Dr Penelope Baaba Tettey Adinku.
Dr Penelope Tettey Adinku's awards and recognition
Her trailblazing career has attracted considerable recognition from the global medical community.
Among the honours she has received are the IAP Young Physician Leader Award, the Young Star Award, and the prestigious Valerie Rusch Mentored Career Development Award from the American Association for Thoracic Surgery.
Outside the hospital, Dr Adinku is married to Reverend Ernest Adinku, a captain in the Ghana Army.
A September 2026 Facebook post by Study Green, which spotlighted her journey, described her story as "a powerful reminder of what dedication and perseverance can achieve."
Today, she continues to operate at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, saving lives and serving as a beacon for the next generation of Ghanaian women in medicine.
Source: Facebook
Ghana signs visa waiver with other countries
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that Ghanaian passport holders can now travel to the Maldives, Zambia, and Antigua and Barbuda without a visa, following the ratification and entry into force of bilateral waiver agreements with all three countries.
Ghana's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the development through a public notice dated September 8, 2026, confirming that the new arrangements extend to holders of ordinary, service, and diplomatic passports.
The permitted length of stay differs across the three destinations. Ghanaians visiting the Maldives or Zambia may remain for a maximum of 30 days per visit, while those travelling to Antigua and Barbuda are allowed a longer stay of up to 90 days.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
