FAMU freshman continues to excel after inventing surgical technique at age 14

Tony Hansberry
Tony Hansberry

FAMU  freshman continues to excel after inventing surgical technique at age 14

His method for sewing up hysterectomy patients a staple at Shands Jacksonville Medical Center

Submitted by Pamela Tolson

      TALLAHASSEE, FL — Tony D. Hansberry is not your average college freshman. Perceived  as a child prodigy after developing an innovative suture method that decreases hospital stay and increases efficiency during operations for hysterectomies, the then 14-year-old said he just wanted to bring a prize back home from the science fair.

     “People think I’m a genius,” Hansberry said. “It’s not that at all, I just like medicine.”

     Hansberry, a freshman bio-medical engineering student at Florida A&M University (FAMU), said after not winning in the science fair in the eighth grade, he teamed up with an administrator at Shands Hospital to create the innovative surgical procedure. Hansberry has continued his education in the field that caught his interest early on as a child.

     Unlike most students, the 18-year-old Hansberry was no stranger to the hills of FAMU. Born in Tallahassee and raised in Jacksonville, Fla., Hansberry considers FAMU to be home.

     “The joy that my dad has when he sees his friends, I wanted that,” said Hansberry, the offspring of FAMU alumnus Elder Tony Hansberry.

     Like his father, a former Marching “100” member and King of Orange and Green,  Hansberry has the Rattler leadership venom in his veins. Hansberry presides as the freshman class senator and will continue to serve until his term is over.

     Hansberry, like other first-time students, said he continues to learn how to balance school and extracurricular activities while he maintains his good grades.

     “Make sure you know the priorities of school before you join any organization,” Hans-berry said.

     Being a full time student and freshman class senator requires a lot of time and networking, but Hansberry said he knows it is something he can master.

     Hansberry said he was torn about changing his major from bio-medical engineering to chemistry, but now finds comfort in knowing that he has a clear definition of what he wants to pursue for the longevity of his career.

     “I want to become a trauma surgeon,” Hansberry said.

     Hansberry acknowledges that the career he has chosen requires dedication, plenty of studying and long nights, but he has the drive and will to get there.

            “I don’t know how I’m going to get there, I just know I will,” Hansberry said.

About Carma Henry 24481 Articles
Carma Lynn Henry Westside Gazette Newspaper 545 N.W. 7th Terrace, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33311 Office: (954) 525-1489 Fax: (954) 525-1861

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