Skip to main content

Military Health System

Test of Sitewide Banner

This is a test of the sitewide banner capability. In the case of an emergency, site visitors would be able to visit the news page for addition information.

Navy Pediatrician Rises from Humble Beginnings to Make History

Image of Miliary health personnel wearing face mask bumping elbows. Naval Medical Forces Pacific Command Master Chief Sean Howe (left) elbow bumps Navy Capt. (Dr.) Lynelle Boamah, commanding officer for Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command and Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms during a Nov. 2, 2020, visit (Photo by: Regina Kowtiz, Naval Medical Forces Pacific).

Navy captain and board-certified pediatrician Lynelle Boamah confidently stands with feet firmly planted atop two recent significant months: February's Black History Month and March's Women's History Month.

As the commanding officer of Navy Medical Readiness and Training Command Twentynine Palms in California and director of Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms, she defied the unwanted advice from friends and neighbors in the poor section of Baltimore where she was born, who told her: "Lynelle, you can never become a doctor."

She is now the first African American female Medical Corps commanding officer of a naval hospital.

Hers is the story of tenacity, drive, and the importance of mentors. Her mother, her biggest cheerleader, never discouraged her ambition.

"My mom got me the Playschool doctor's kit, with the medical bag and stethoscope," Boamah said. "I would practice on my sister who is 18 months younger than me, listening to her heart when we were little kids."

"From the earliest age (she said she thinks she was 4-years-old) she was impressed by the medical clinic a couple of blocks from where she lived with her sister and single mom in south Baltimore."

"The white sterile coats, their professionalism, the smell of antiseptic. I was excited to go to the doctor," she said.

Boamah attended Forest Park High School in Baltimore where she finished first in her class and delivered the valedictorian speech.

"I still have that speech on index cards," she said. "Now they remind me of my 1MC announcements."

After finishing college at the Notre Dame of Maryland University she took a year off and worked in a genetics laboratory at Johns Hopkins University where her immediate supervisor and program director were both female physicians.

"They were both great mentors," she said.

Both encouraged her to pursue her medical ambition. Also at that time, she met Medical Corps recruiter Navy Lt. Bill McCarthy, “who also turned out to be a great mentor," she said. Twenty years later, she met McCarthy again after he had become a Medical Corps officer and was assigned training at Naval Medical Center San Diego. "The roles were somewhat reversed," she said.

In 1995, Boamah was interning at Naval Medical Center Bethesda in Maryland and found the atmosphere challenging. She had the opportunity to transfer to Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, Virginia, where she was chief resident and deeply involved in department activities. It's also where she met her pharmacist husband, Charles.

"I found my battle rhythm and became the physician the nurses needed me to be," she said.

Following her residency, Boamah was assigned as a general pediatrician at Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms from 1998 to 2001. She then worked as a graduate medical educator at Naval Medical Center San Diego before entering the pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology, and nutrition graduate-studies course at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center from 2004 to 2007. During fellowship training, she earned a master's degree in medical education and curriculum development from the University of Cincinnati in 2008, graduating magna cum laude.

Upon completion of fellowship, Boamah returned to Naval Medical Center San Diego in 2007, establishing a robust practice of pediatric gastroenterology. She served as associate pediatric residency program director from 2008-2011 and was selected as residency program director from 2011 until 2016.

During this time, she deployed as an individual augmentee to Palawan, Philippines, in a joint humanitarian assistance mission. She served as the director for medical services, of the USNS Mercy from 2015-2017, and as the Mercy's executive officer until 2019.

On Aug. 23, 2019, Boamah accepted command of Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms, the same military medical treatment facility where she had reported for her first assignment as a Navy lieutenant 21 years earlier.

You also may be interested in...

Dr. King: A Leader of Nonviolent Social Transformation

Article
1/19/2022
Picture of Martin Luther King Jr.

The Defense Health Agency held an observance honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. King was a man committed to nonviolent action for social change.

Long-Acting Contraceptives are a Popular Choice with Service Members

Article
1/18/2022
Bremerton nurse midwife demonstrates vaginal ring placement

Many female service members and their beneficiaries want control of their bodies’ menstrual cycles for a variety of reasons, including military readiness. At medical centers, hospitals, and clinics around the world, the Military Health System provides education, counseling, and access to birth control. The military offers a variety of methods or products so women can choose the best birth control for their unique needs.

Six Immediate Health Benefits You Will See If You Lose a Little Weight

Article
1/14/2022
A soldier assigned to the 256th Combat Support Hospital, Twinsburg, Ohio, drinks water from a gallon-sized jug during Combat Support Training Exercise 18-03 at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, March 26, 2018. The 256th CSH implemented a goal setting competition, dubbed Dandy Camp, to teach and encourage soldiers to monitor their total carbohydrate intake during the field exercise. The overall goal of Dandy Camp is to educate soldiers about healthy eating choices and encourage soldiers to set and meet goals for themselves.

Losing even a little weight now can have a major impact on your health and quality of life. This long list of benefits might help motivate you to adjust your habits to achieve a happier, healthier lifestyle.

Black History Month 1

Infographic
1/12/2022
Black History Month

Every February we celebrate the courageous and all-important accomplishments made by black individuals over the course of our history in honor of #BlackHistoryMonth

Black History Month 2

Infographic
1/12/2022
Black History Month

How will you honor this #BlackHistoryMonth ? Whether you’re reading books, donating to charities, or supporting black-owned businesses, ensure you’re doing your part to educate, understand, and honor the experiences of black individuals throughout our history.

Critically ill COVID Patient Delivers Baby While on Heart-Lung Bypass

Article
1/11/2022
Retired U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Carlos Hernandez and his wife, Ashley, take a family portrait with their six children. Ashley is BAMC’s first patient to give birth while on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation.

Hernandez, a Marine Corps spouse and mother of five, is BAMC’s first patient to give birth while on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation.

How Health Care for New Mothers is Improving Across the MHS

Article
11/24/2021
Photo of a medical provider checking out a pregnant woman

The post-partum hemorrhage bundle campaign trained all clinicians that provide OB services at military hospitals, giving them resources and tools to provide patients and staff information and/or training about PPH and how to respond in the event of a PPH event.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: How to Keep Babies Safe While Sleeping

Article
11/24/2021
aby boy asleep on is back in a cfrib

Don’t co-sleep with babies; that’s a SIDS risk factor teaser

Annual Summit Focuses on Breast Cancer Research Treatment

Article Around MHS
11/1/2021
lead mammographer performing a mammogram

Mammograms are the best way to find breast cancer early, when it is easier to treat and before it is big enough to feel or cause symptoms.

New walk in clinic provides contraception to female service members

Article Around MHS
10/29/2021
Military personnel during an exam

Brooke Army Medical Center now offers female service members a walk-in clinic for contraception on Wednesdays.

New MHS Podcast Explores Women’s Health in the Military

Article
10/27/2021
KeyserTL 465 x 220 px

The new podcast series, Wise Health for Women Warriors, aims to help servicewomen overcome the specific health care obstacles they encounter.

Pregnancy Health Alert: COVID-19 Vaccine is Strongly Recommended

Article
10/20/2021
Pregnant women gets the COVID-19 vaccine

Get vaccinated for COVID-19 if you’re pregnant or trying, DOD and CDC and advise.

Wise Health for Women Warriors Podcast Supports Women's Health

Article
10/18/2021
WICCArticleImg3A

The Women and Infant Clinical Community developed the Wise Health for Women Warriors podcast to support primary care managers who need additional information when caring for women warriors.

Air Force International Health Specialists promote peace through inclusion of women

Article Around MHS
10/13/2021
Medic prepare to lift a patient on a litter.

U.S. Air Force International Health Specialists are supporting the Department of Defense’s initiative to promote women’s safety, empowerment and vital contributions to global security.

Air Force Women's Initiative Team champions women's health care

Article Around MHS
9/20/2021
Female Airmen stand at attention.

The members of the WIT’s Female-Specialized Health Care Programs have a vision to build an Air Force health care system that strengthens high quality women’s care.

Page 5 of 8 , showing items 61 - 75
First < 1 2 3 4 5  ... > Last 
Refine your search
Last Updated: December 29, 2022
Follow us on Instagram Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Follow us on YouTube Sign up on GovDelivery