Pr. Eugene SOBNGWI – Member of the French National Academy of Medicine

Professor Eugene Sobngwi was inducted this 07th January 2025 into the French National Academy of Medicine. He is a Professor of Endocrinology and Metabolism at the University of Yaoundé 1, Cameroon. Director of Healthcare Organisation and Medical Technology at Cameroon’s Ministry of Public Health. He is also a Senior Researcher at the RSD Institute, Cameroon where he leads several community projects. He still till date serves as a Consultant Physician at the Yaoundé Central Hospital despite his busy schedule.

He is equally:

– Fellow of the Cameroon Academy of Sciences (FCAS).

– ⁠Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences (FAAS).

– ⁠Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of London, UK (FRCP).

I write here to celebrate and congratulate him for his devotion to science and transmission of knowledge to the younger generation. He has a strong sense of Team Science, and I have witness this commitment since we first met in 2006. I was in the 3rd year of medical school training at the prestigious Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (Ex-CUSS), of the University of Yaoundé 1. It was the last class of the day, and we had a fascinating lecture of the Introduction to Signs and Symptoms of Endocrine Pathologies with then Dr Eugene Sobngwi. I was immediately marked and felt drawn to learn from him.

Long story short…

I ended up training in research at the Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases Unit of the Yaoundé Central Hospital and have worked with him on several research projects across Cameroon.

He was the Co-Supervisor of my Doctor of Medicine (MD) Thesis (2011) with the One-and-Only Professor Jean Claude Mbanya as Lead Supervisor. I studied the impact of intensive insulin intervention on insulin sensitivity in poorly controlled type 2 diabetes patients in Cameroon. See study publication below:

– Katte JC, Sobngwi E, Kamwa V, Dehayem MY, Nguewa JL, Kengne AP, Mbanya JC. The effects of a one-week short intensive insulin intervention on insulin sensitivity in patients with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes. Int J Diabetes Clin Res 2016; 3:056.

He later supervised my Master of Research and Clinical Epidemiology trainings (2016-2018) at the Faculties of Science & Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé 1, with other colleagues like Professors Wilfred Mbacham and Bilong Yannick. For my MRes, I researched the Validation of a low-cost visiotechnology in screening of diabetic retinopathy in Cameroon. For the MSc in Clinical Epidemiology, I examined Procalcitonin as a biomarker of cardiovascular risk in patients with type 2 diabetes. See below a couple of publications of the work I did with Professor Eugene Sobngwi and others for my Master trainings:

– Bilong Y, Katte JC, Koki G, Kagmeni G, Nga Obama OP, Ngoufo Fofe HR, Mvilongo C, Nkengfack O, Bimbai AM, Sobngwi E, Mbacham W, Mbanya JC, Assumpta Bella L, Sharma A. Validation of Smartphone-Based Retinal Photography for Diabetic Retinopathy Screening. Ophthalmic Surgery, Lasers and Imaging Retina. 2019;50(5):S18-S22.

– Bilong Y, Noche Domngang C, Nwanlih Gimma G, Katte JC, Afetane TE, Kagmeni G, Mbanya JC, Kumar N, Sharma A, Sobngwi E. Smartphone-Assisted Glaucoma Screening in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: a Pilot Study. Med Hypothesis Discov Innov Ophthalmol. 2020; 9(1): 61–65. PMID: 31976345

– Katte JC, Kengne AP, Tchapmi D, Agoons BB, Nyirenda M, Mbacham W, Sobngwi E. Procalcitonin Correlates With Cardiovascular Risk Better Than Highly Sensitive C-Reactive Protein in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes in Sub-Saharan Africa: Results From a Cross-Sectional Study. Cureus. 2021 Sep 28;13(9):e18357. PMID: 34725609.

He later was one of the Co-supervisors of my PhD at the University of Exeter where I researched the phenotype and survival of type 1 diabetes in sub–Saharan Africa. See below some of my PhD and related studies that have already been published:

– Katte JC, Poka-Mayap V, Niwaha AJ, Nakanga W, Jones A, McDonald TJ, Sobgnwi E. Post-meal Urinary C-peptide creatinine ratio is a moderate measure of insulin secretion in diabetes patients in Cameroon: results from a cross-sectional study. PAMJ Clinical Medicine. 2020;3:12.

– Katte JC, Lemdjo G, Dehayem MY, Jones AG, McDonald TJ, Sobngwi E, Mbanya JC. Mortality amongst children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes in sub-Saharan Africa: The case study of the Changing Diabetes in Children program in Cameroon. Pediatr Diabetes. 2022 Feb;23(1):33-37. PMID: 34820965.

– Katte JC, Morfaw-Kibula F, Agoons BB, Zemsi S, Guewo-Fokeng M, Sobngwi E. Stimulated UCPCR Levels Are Lower in People With Type 1 Diabetes Than in Other Diabetes Types in Sub-Saharan Africa: Results From a Preliminary Cross-Sectional Study. Front Public Health. 2022 Apr 8;10:866107. PMID: 35462815.

– Katte JC, McDonald TJ, Sobngwi E, Jones AG. The phenotype of type 1 diabetes in sub-Saharan Africa. Front Public Health. 2023 Jan 27;11:1014626. PMID: 36778553.

– Katte JC, Dehayem MY, Colclough K, Sobngwi E. Treatment switch from multiple daily insulin injections to sulphonylureas in an African young adult diagnosed with HNF1A MODY: a case report. J Med Case Rep. 2024 Oct 17;18(1):506. PMID: 39420387.

As you can see from my academic degrees and publications, he has been one of my serial scientific supervisors and now a very important mentor.

Two words to describe Professor Eugene Sobngwi haven worked with him all these years will be Open & Generous.

Congratulations once again Prof, for your induction into the very prestigious French National Academy of Medicine.

Thank you for giving yourself to Medical Science and Training the Next Generation.

                                                                                                                                                                                                         By Jean Claude Katte.