People

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Regina Joice Cordy, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor (2018 – present)

Ph.D. in Biological Sciences in Public Health, Harvard University. B.A. in Human Biology, University of Virginia.

RJC is an Assistant Professor in the Biology Department at Wake Forest University. Her PhD work at Harvard led to the identification of an enrichment site of malaria’s sexual stages (gametocytes) in the bone marrow. Her postdoctoral work at Emory focused on computational analysis of the microbiome and metabolome of malaria-infected hosts.

In her free time, she enjoys sewing, taking road trips, and relaxing outside on her back porch.

cordy teaching microscopy techniques

GRADUATE STUDENTS

Dinah Nahid

PhD Student (2019 – present)

B.A. in Biochemistry, Smith College

nahid19 [at] wfu.edu

Dinah’s work focuses on Plasmodium replication rate under varying oxygen conditions, using a combination of in vitro culture and mathematical modeling approaches.

In her free time, Dinah enjoys cooking, taking walks outside, and taking care of her cat.

Kevin Coffey

PhD Student (2021 – present)

B.S. in Biology, UNC Charlotte

coffk21 [at] wfu.edu

Kevin’s work focuses on studying differential gene expression of Plasmodium falciparum in various oxygen conditions.

Outside of studying infectious diseases, he enjoys traveling, cooking, baking, swimming, playing tennis, and learning about different cultures around the world.

Cam Sherlock

PhD Student (2022-Present)

B.S. in the biological sciences, University of Pittsburgh 

sherce22 [at] wfu.edu

Cam’s work focuses on how oxidative stress disrupts the cell cycle during erythroid development in the context of malarial anemia. 

When Cam is not in the lab, he enjoys playing basketball, doing graphic design work, and editing videos.

Tryphena Adams

PhD Student (2022 – present)

MPhil. Applied Parasitology, University of Ghana

BSc. Animal Biology and Conservation Science, University of Ghana

adamt22 [at] wfu.edu

Tryphena’s work focuses on the gut biology, particularly the gut microbiome and gut barrier integrity following a malaria infection and its influence on disease severity.

Outside of the lab, she enjoys a lot of indoor activities: mostly spending time with family, listening to music and podcasts, volunteering, trying out recipes and traveling.

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

Erica Vazquez

B.S. in Biology and B.A. in Spanish, Minor in Chemistry, WFU (’25)

In her free time, Erica enjoys cooking, baking, painting, and making rings made of wire!