WVU expands global impact through Gabon appointment, with support from West Virginia National Guard

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — As a prominent land-grant and flagship R1 institution, West Virginia University is expanding its global engagement through an academic appointment in Gabon, supported by the West Virginia National Guard’s State Partnership Program. The initiative demonstrates WVU’s commitment to collaboration, knowledge exchange and service. 

Christopher Martin, M.D., M.Sc., professor in the WVU School of Medicine and School of Public Health and director of Global Engagement at Health Sciences, represented WVU at the State Partnership Program signing ceremony in Libreville, Gabon, as part of the West Virginia National Guard’s inaugural Key Leader Engagement with Gabon. The ceremony formalized an official partnership between West Virginia and Gabon through the National Guard Bureau’s State Partnership Program, a U.S. security cooperation initiative that builds connections across military and civilian sectors and strengthens people-to-people ties at the state level.

During the visit, he met with researchers at Gabon’s premier scientific institute, the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique et Technologique (CENAREST), to explore opportunities for collaboration. That connection led to the appointment of Dr. Chimène Nze Nkogoue, a senior researcher at the Institute for Research in Tropical Ecology, part of CENAREST, as an adjunct faculty member in the WVU School of Medicine Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Cell Biology, creating new opportunities for joint research, education and long-term global exchange. 

“This kind of partnership brings our strengths together in powerful ways,” Martin said. “Gabonese researchers offer invaluable firsthand field experience in places where some of the world’s most pressing health challenges are unfolding. At the same time, WVU contributes academic infrastructure and knowledge systems to support that work. It’s a true exchange, one where both sides grow and benefit.”

Mariette Barbier, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Cell Biology, said the collaboration will also enhance WVU’s research and educational programs.

“We look forward to this new partnership and the expertise that infectious disease experts such as Dr. Chimène Nze Nkogoue can bring to our research and educational programs, and the potential impact of this program on public health,” Barbier said. 

This collaboration not only strengthens ties with Gabon’s scientific community, it also brings new international perspectives into WVU classrooms, labs and virtual lecture halls. As WVU continues to fulfill its land-grant mission in an interconnected world, partnerships like this underscore the university’s leadership in shaping global solutions from West Virginia outward.

“We’re building bridges that connect local expertise to global impact,” Martin said. “It’s West Virginia knowledge in service to the world, and the world enriching West Virginia in return.”

Visit Global Engagement at Health Sciences to learn more about strategic international partnerships, interprofessional education and WVU’s participation in global health initiatives.

Photographed in the cover photo at the top: From left, Dr. Chimène Nze Nkogoue and U.S. Ambassador to Gabon Vernelle Trim FitzPatrick.

-WVU-

cm/8/12/25

MEDIA CONTACT: Christie Matyola
Senior Communications Specialist
WVU Health Sciences
732-966-2107; christie.matyola@hsc.wvu.edu