Dr. William H. McCoy IV, MD, PhD
Principal Investigator
Dr. McCoy is the Principal Investigator of the McCoy Lab at Washington University in St. Louis Medical Campus. His lab’s research focuses on the protein structures of bacterial products linked to acne development and protein crystallography using cryo-electron microscopy. The McCoy Lab also works in partnership with other labs within the Division of Medicine on projects involving the skin microbiome and molecular biology of DNA methylation. Click here to see more about my career path to opening an independent laboratory.
Jorge Durand-Heredia
(he/him)
Postdoc Research Associate
Jorge Durand-Heredia earned his doctoral degree in Microbiology at University of Missouri-Columbia in 2023. His work is focused on the effect of trace metals in the biology of C. acnes, as well as protein-protein interaction assays.
Wen-Chi Huang (Vickie)
(she/her)
Visiting Researcher
Vickie originally came from Taiwan, where she rocked her master’s degree in molecular biology at National Tsing Hua University. After doing the hustle in Taiwan for a while, she decided to dive headfirst into the wild world of protein-protein interactions and whip up cool assays in McCoy’s lab. And when she’s not sciencing it up, you might spot her out for a run in the chill vibes of Forest Park.
Gretchen Schreiner
(she/her)
Visiting Medical Student Researcher
Under Construction
Mackenzie Joe
(She/Her)
Undergraduate Researcher
Mackenzie is a senior undergraduate at Washington University in St. Louis, double majoring in Anthropology: Global Health and the Environment and Healthcare Management. Her research interests are in the skin microbiome, eczema, immunity proteins, and pleasant touch. Mackenzie joined the McCoy Lab to gain more research experience before medical school. She hopes to start medical school next fall with the goal of specializing in dermatology or immunology to provide holistic care to vulnerable patient populations. In her free time, Mackenzie enjoys trying new restaurants, cooking, volunteering in her community, traveling, and running.
McCoy Laboratory Alumni
Undergraduate Research Fellows
Washington University Undergraduate Research Fellows
Alan Zhu (2020 – Bio 200/500 Undergraduate Independent Research)
Jillian G. Mann (2021 – Bio 200/500 Undergraduate Independent Research)
Ilana Siegel (2022 – Bio 200/500 Undergraduate Independent Research)
Nicholas E. Wong (2023 – Bio 200/500 Undergraduate Independent Research, 2023 – Vagelos Undergraduate Research Fellowship)
Jessica Park (2024 – undergraduate part-time researcher)
Jessica Lee (2024 – undergraduate researcher)
Visiting Undergraduate Research Fellows
Caspar S. Carson (2023 – Amgen Scholars Program, Visiting from Binghamton University)
Medical Student Research Fellows
Washington University School of Medicine (WUSM) Medical Students
Elaine S. Otchere, M.D., M.A. (2015 – WUSM-Summer Research Program (SRP), 2016-2017 MA/MD Program, Current Position)
Michael R. Vittori, M.D., D.Pharm. (2019 – WUSM-SRP, Current Position)
Jonathan Z. Tang, M.D. (2019 – WUSM-SRP, Current Position)
Sydney B. Sillart, M.D. (2019 – WUSM-SRP, Current Position)
Faisal S. Ahmad, M.D. (2020 – WUSM-SRP, Grants, Current Position)
Felicia Wang (2023-2024 – WashU Medical Student Researcher)
Visiting Medical Students
Oyindayo Hassan, M.D., M.H.S. (2022 – Meharry Medical School – Summer Research Program, preferred first name: Oyin or Honey, Current Position)
Elena I. Vélez-Torres, M.Sc. (2021 – Lean Menshouse Springer Summer Opportunities Program, Current Position)
Washington University Graduate Students
Rotation Students
Hailee M. Morrison, B.S. (2022 – Fall Rotation in the McCoy Lab, Current Position)
Kennedy Reed, B.S. (2023 – Fall Rotation in the McCoy Lab, Current Position)
Andrew Martin, B.S. (2023 – Winter Rotation in the McCoy Lab, Current Position)
Senior Scientists
Chandra Manithody, Ph.D. (2021 – senior scientist in the McCoy Lab, preferred first name: Chandra, Current Position: Senior Scientist in the Jain lab; Saint Louis University, Missouri)
Postdoctoral Fellows
Md Shafiuddin, Ph.D. (2022 – promoted to staff scientist in the McCoy Lab, preferred first name: Shafi, Current Position: LabCorp; Research Park Triangle, North Carolina)
Laboratory Technicians
Meghan (Hien) Vo, B.S. (2017-2018, preferred first name: Meghan, Current Position)
Jessica Ninneman, B.S. (2018-2019, preferred first name: Jess, Current Position)
William Phillips, B.S. (2019, preferred first name: Bill, Current Position)
Samantha Scott, B.A. (2019-2020, preferred first name: Sammie, Current Position)
Alison Keppel, B.S. (2020, Current Position)
Jeffrey Ryan Anton, B.S. (2021-2023, preferred first name: Ryan, Current Position)
Gabriel Prather, B.S. (2021-2024, Current Position)