Martin Agwogie, Ph.D., M.Ed., M.B.A., a 2017-2018 NIDA Hubert H. Humphrey Drug Abuse Research Fellow from Nigeria, was named a U.S. Department of State Distinguished Humphrey Leadership Fellow for 2020. Distinguished Humphrey Leadership Fellows complete an executive leadership course at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, followed by a 1-week professional affiliation with U.S. experts in their respective fields. NIDA International Program Director Steve Gust, Ph.D., served as the coordinator for Dr. Agwogie’s professional affiliation, which focused on national drug policy formulation, strategies to improve drug demand reduction, and federal, state, and municipal collaboration on drug control issues. Dr. Agwogie met with officials at NIDA, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, the State Department Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America, and the University of Maryland Center for Substance Abuse Research.
Dr. Agwogie is the founder and executive director of the Global Initiative on Substance Abuse (GISA), a nongovernmental organization in Nigeria that focuses on evidence-based substance abuse prevention, treatment, capacity building, and policy. He is also president of the Nigerian chapter of the International Society of Substance Use Prevention and Treatment Professionals and the assistant coordinator for Africa of the International Consortium of Universities for Drug Demand Reduction. GISA coordinates training on the Universal Prevention Curriculum in Nigeria.
The Distinguished Humphrey Leadership Program began in 2017. Distinguished Humphrey Fellows are senior officials who are leaders in advancing the public good through positive, near-term impact on policy formulation within their professional areas. The program’s goal is to facilitate leadership development, multilateral collaboration, and cooperation on shared global challenges. The State Department Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs selects about a dozen individuals for this award annually from the more than 5,900 Humphrey alumni. Dr. Agwogie is the second NIDA Humphrey Fellow to have been selected for the Distinguished Humphrey Leadership Program. Riza Sarasvita, Ph.D., was a member of the 2018 cohort. Dr. Sarasvita directs the National Narcotics Board Rehabilitation Center in Jakarta, Indonesia.