Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology chair to retire
John Barnett, Ph.D., professor and chair of the WVU School of Medicine Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology will retire at the end of the 2022-2023 academic year. He has served as chair and professor at West Virginia University since 1992.
“I’m especially proud of the team of faculty in the department,” said Dr. Barnett, who was responsible for recruiting, 100% of the department’s current faculty.
“We have equal representation in both the research and teaching tracks, as well as equal representation of males and females across the department,” he said. “The graduate students recruited by these faculty are fabulous.”
In addition to his recruitment achievements, Barnett is started one of only two undergraduate Bachelor of Science degree programs in Immunology and Medical Microbiology in the nation that is housed at a medical school.
“Overall, I believe I will leave an exceptionally good department that will progress even further under new leadership,” he said.
Barnett has been an integral part of School of Medicine having served in multiple roles during his time at WVU, including director for the Center for Immunopathology and Microbial Pathogenesis and director for Proteomic Core. He has also served as chair of the Institutional Biosafety Committee since 2014.
“Dr. Barnett has played a vital role in shaping the department through impactful recruitment and making lasting contributions to the field through his years of a success as a scientist, in addition to his roles in education and administration,” said Laura Gibson, Ph.D., senior associate vice president for Research and Graduate Education. “His commitment to training and leadership has proved invaluable to the school and will be felt in positive ways for years to come.”
His primary research interests are immunopathology induced by environmental agents and immunopathology of rheumatoid and osteo-arthritis, and he has presented across the world including in Ukraine, Lithuania, Faroe Islands and Jordan.
He is the founder of ExesaLibero Pharma, a pharmaceutical company partnered with WVU, to create a small molecule drug to treat arthritic bone erosion. The company, along with WVU, was awarded a $1.5 million Small Business Technology Transfer grant by the National Institutes of Health in 2020 to continue developing the drug.
Prior to joining WVU, Barnett served as associate dean for research at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences as well as professor for the Department of Microbiology and Immunology and Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology (secondary appointment).
Barnett received a bachelor’s and master’s degrees in microbiology from Montana State University and completed a doctoral degree in microbiology/immunology at the University of Louisville and post-doctoral training in Immunology at the University of Tennessee.
He holds several professional memberships including the American Association of Immunologists, the American Society for Microbiology, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Society of Leukocyte Biology.
Post-retirement, he will transition to full time with ExesaLibero Pharma to develop the anti-bone erosion drug, work on a number of hobbies that he has as well as travel with his wife, Cecilia.
For more information on the department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology visit medicine.wvu.edu/micro/.