Education Leadership

Dr. Shaneeta Johnson – Program Director General Surgery

Dr. Shaneeta Johnson

Dr. Shaneeta M. Johnson is a Professor of Surgery, Chief of the Minimally Invasive and Bariatric Surgery Program, Program Director of General Surgery and Senior Fellow, Global Health Equity at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia. A native of Nassau, Bahamas, Dr. Johnson graduated from St. Andrews High School as the Alpha Kappa Alpha Female Valedictorian of the Bahamas. She attended Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience. While matriculating there, she was awarded the Johns Hopkins University Multicultural Award for Personal and Academic Excellence, in addition to other honors. Dr. Johnson received her medical degree from Loma Linda University in Loma Linda, California. She completed her residency training in general surgery at Howard University Hospital in Washington, DC. While at Howard Hospital, she was awarded by the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma, District of Columbia, for her research and received the Chairman’s Surgical Award.

With an interest in minimally invasive surgery, Dr. Johnson then pursued and completed a fellowship in advanced laparoscopic and bariatric surgery at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio. She holds board certifications in both general surgery and obesity medicine. Dr. Johnson is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, a Fellow of the International College of Surgeons, and a Fellow of the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgeons.

Supporting Staff:


Dr. Aaron Alford – Director of Clerkship

Dr. Aaron Alford

Dr. Alford is an assistant professor of surgery at Morehouse School of Medicine. He is a Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude graduate of Morehouse College, receiving a BS in Biology. He graduated from the Emory University School of Medicine and completed general surgery training at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s Mercy Hospital. Dr. Alford is a board-certified general surgeon trained in robotic surgery. 

Dr. Alford began his surgical career in Atlanta in 2005, creating a partnership in private practice and later joining The Southeast Permanente Medical Group with Kaiser Permanente for > 15 years. While at The Southeast Permanente Medical Group, Dr. Alford participated in leadership training, served as a member of the peer review committee, and was heralded as a Care Experience Champion. 

Through the use of critical thinking skills and exceptional knowledge of diseased conditions, Dr. Alford can expertly perform surgeries for a variety of surgical conditions and has a special interest in complex abdominal wall reconstruction.

Dr. Alford is committed to accuracy and efficiency while providing compassionate care using laparoscopic, robotic, and traditional surgical techniques.

Supporting Staff:

Morehouse School of Medicine 
Department of Surgery Surgery Clerkship

Year 3 and Year 4 Objectives

The General Surgery Clerkship is a core clerkship during the third-year medical school training. The surgical clerkship rotation provides third year and fourth-year medical students with the educational resources, clinical skills, and technological tools to advance their knowledge, skills and abilities in medicine and positions the students to be globally competitive. In addition to general surgery, the medical students are exposed to Acute Care Surgery, Trauma Surgery, and Surgical Critical Care as well as sub-specialties such as ENT, Orthopedic Surgery, Pediatric Surgery, Plastic Surgery, Thoracic Surgery and Vascular.

The overall goal of the general surgery clerkship is to provide exposure to a broad spectrum of surgical diseases. More specifically, the General Surgery Clerkship focuses on general surgery disorders and disease processes. The goals for the general surgery clerkship align closely with the MSM Vision Imperative 3, which focuses on “Preparing Future Health Learners and Leaders” with emphasis on Goal 1, Goal 3, and Goal 4 (Goal 1. Develop innovative approaches to diversify the pipeline for health and science careers; Goal 3. Broaden diversity in the healthcare, scientific, and public health workforce; and Goal 4. Lead in training the next generation of physicians and allied health professionals, public health and community health leaders, and biomedical scientists who will create and advance health equity.). The general surgery clerkship is committed to the design and development of innovative clinical and didactic experiences during the eight-week rotation. These experiences include weekly lectures provided by the MSM Department of Surgery faculty, surgical skills and simulation sessions (i.e. suturing, knot tying, IV insertion, airway/tubes and drains, and Foley insertion) conducted by the Nurse Practitioners, Clinical Scholars sessions, Professor’s Rounds, Surgical Grand Rounds, NBME self-assessments, and clinical training with the attendings, nurse practitioners and surgery residents. Medical students also participate in laparoscopic skills training. Furthermore, the Department of Surgery and the clerkship program continues to engage the medical students in scholarly activity and work collaboratively with research colleagues to provide the medical students with research opportunities as well as scholarship support for presenting at national meetings.

The Department of Surgery encourages diversity as a clinical site/preceptorship for the clinical learners in the Physician Assistant Studies program. The department also provides training to medical students in minimally invasive surgery through the Minimally Invasive Surgery Training for Students initiative. Additional outreach activities include the Surgery Interest Group. These efforts are consistent with the institutional efforts to broaden diversity and “lead the creation and advancement of health equity” by “preparing our future health learners” to advance medicine and research.

The General Surgery sub-internship rotation, which is an elective fourth year rotation was implemented in July 2020. During the elective fourth year rotation, the medical students gain exposure to “bread and butter” General Surgery disorders as well as specialty specific diseases in the areas of colorectal surgery, surgical oncology, and hepatobiliary surgery. To achieve the overall goal to help the student acquire the basic surgical skills needed by a physician, the three specific goals for the course are to: (1) Improve the student’s fund of knowledge of basic and complex surgical disorders, (2) Advance the student’s decision making for the management of patients with surgical illness, and (3) Improve clinical and technical skills required for the intraoperative assistance and peri-operative support of the surgical patient.

A Surgery Boot Camp and an Advanced Surgery Elective are also offered during the MS4 year for those students with a strong interest in General Surgery.

The Surgery Bootcamp elective provides students with an interest in surgery and surgical specialties the opportunity to participate in a mentored rotation with specific guidance on successfully performing the competencies expected on Day 1 of surgical residency. The elective consists of a one-month rotation with surgeon preceptors, mock call, ACLS certification and both communication and manual skills training so that participants can meet the responsibilities of that of an intern.

Both courses promote sharpening clinical and technical skills, surgical decision making, work-life balance, OR etiquette, anatomy review, and discussion of common surgical procedures. Both courses require oral presentations during conferences or chair rounds. The courses deviate slightly as the Advanced Surgery elective explores right-fit surgical residencies based on student's desire for academic versus community practice. The Advanced Surgery elective furthermore delves into review of the student’s application personal statement.

Upon completion of the courses, students will have reviewed and refined their knowledge of surgical procedures. They are also exposed to the usual challenges faced by surgical interns, thereby avoiding pitfalls, and increasing uncertainty reduction as they enter surgical internship.

In addition to the current robust clinical training and education, the clerkship director, assistant director, and the two surgical clinical scholars with the support of the esteemed faculty and chair of the Department of Surgery promote academic excellence and quality patientcare. The faculty regularly participate in faculty development at the departmental and institutional levels as well as at the national level within their professional organizations. The faculty engage the learners using different pedagogical approaches, through mentorship and scholarly activity