People move to big cities – because that’s where they can find work, because of the cultural offer, because of better schools, hospitals and universities. Cameroon does not differ from Germany in this respect. But how can you win over prospective students, researchers and doctors for a small town like Dschang? 70.000 inhabitants, 345 km from the capital Yaoundé, specialized in pig breeding, one university founded in 1993. Until now, one went to the capital to study human medicine. This is likely to change soon.
Story by S. Rausch
Stem cell research in the focus
Filomain Nguemo in a Cologne laboratory (Foto Medizinfoto Köln)
Yaoundé, summer of 2000. When Dschang-born Filomain Nguemo sent an his email to the stem cell researcher Professor Jürgen Hescheler at the University of Cologne, he was in the middle of his Biology degree at the Université de Yaoundé in Cameroon. His vision: doing his doctoral degree at an international university of reputation. Hescheler is a pioneer in stem cell research. However, Nguemo make a mistake at the time. He sent off the wrong file. Instead of sending the English version, he sent off the French one.
Testimonial: In 2000, access to the internet was limited, especially in Cameroon. As a PhD student we were granted 30 minutes per day. In order to save time, I would pre-edit my messages in English and French and save them on a floppy disk. When I contacted Professor Hescheler for my planned dissertation, my time was almost up. I accidentally copied the French message instead of the English one and sent it. Luckily, Professor Hescheler replied asking for the English version. That was great luck, another Professor would not have taken the time to ask for that”.
In 2000, access to the internet was limited, especially in Cameroon. As a PhD student we were granted 30 minutes per day. In order to save time, I would pre-edit my messages in English and French and save them on a floppy disk. When I contacted Professor Hescheler for my planned dissertation, my time was almost up. I accidentally copied the French message instead of the English one and sent it. Luckily, Professor Hescheler replied asking for the English version. That was great luck, another Professor would not have taken the time to ask for that.
With luck to Cologne
After appraising Nguemo’s talent and motivation for his planned thesis in the field of physiology, Hescheler invited the young man from Cameroon to join his research group at this seminar. 17 years later, Nguemo is Group Leader of Electrophysiology at the Center for Physiology and Pathological Physiology at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Cologne. He is happy in Cologne and likes the campus. His motivation: research on stem cells in order to help ill people and to test new medication.
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A delegation of experts on a visit to the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Cologne. (Foto Medizinfoto Köln)
An intellectual exchange between scientists from Dschang and Cologne. (Medizinfoto Köln)
Participants of the Summer School from Dschang on the campus in Cologne after the handing over of the participation certificats.
Mid left: Filomain Nguemo, Benjamin Köckemann (Head of the Centre for International Relations at the Faculty of Medicine at Cologne University) und Christiane Wille (Deputy Head of the Centre for International Relations at the Faculty of Medicine at Cologne University) (Foto: Medizinfoto Köln)
Helping to build the Medical Faculty in Dschang
Nowadays, as a professor, the African stem cell researcher wants to help his hometown achieve something in medicine: he is involved in the founding of a new Faculty of Medicine and Pharmaceutics at the Université de Dschang in cooperation with the University of Cologne. The pharmaceutics part plays a special role, as this is a component that other faculties of medicine in west Cameroon do not offer. The Faculty specializes in ethnopharmacology, the science of natural remedies, which is only partly recognized as a science in Germany.
The exchange with the Competence Area Food Security at the University of Cologne is a chance to meet with others experts and share our experiences. This may also be an opportunity for future cooperations.
