Jonathan McCoy's Centre experiences blend his love of medicine and research

Jonathan McCoy, class of 2026, started college knowing he wanted to pursue a career in medicine. What he couldn’t predict was how his Centre experience would shape that passion, leading to a National Institutes of Health fellowship and dreams of not only helping patients but also advancing the field of medicine itself.

McCoy joined Centre’s Summer Health Immersion Program (SHIP) for incoming first-year students because of his pre-med interest. During the program, he listened as two students presented research they had conducted alongside Associate Professor of Physics Bruce Rodenborn. That moment ignited a spark for McCoy. 

“I came to Centre wanting to do research, but I didn’t know I was going to like it as much as I do,” McCoy said. “I remember thinking it sounded interesting and I’d like to try it, but I thought I’d be first and foremost pre-med.”

After discussing his interests with Rodenborn, his faculty advisor, throughout his first year, McCoy received the opportunity to advance the same research project he heard about during SHIP.

“Research certainly became a main focus for me pretty quickly,” McCoy said. “We were problem-solving and working with our hands. At the end of the summer, it was really nice to sit back and see what we got out of all the work we put in.”

The experience encouraged him to reevaluate what his future in medicine could look like.

 “I was starting to reevaluate whether I wanted to be pre-med because I was really enjoying research,” he said. “Pretty much everyone was telling me I could do both.”

His passion for both clinical medicine and research led him to the MD-PhD track, a dual-degree program for aspiring physician-scientists. In this career, he’ll conduct research and solve problems in the lab, then bring his findings directly to his patients. 

“A lot of physician-scientists can split their time between clinic rotations and doing research,” he said. “I like both things, so it’s really great for me that there is a career path that allows me to do both things.”

Wanting more research experience before applying for MD-PhD programs, McCoy applied to the highly competitive National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award program and was selected. 

After graduation, he will conduct research at the NIH main campus in Bethesda, Maryland, for a year, building on the research skills and experience he developed at Centre. 

“They’re really focused on helping you to your next steps,” McCoy said. “Because the NIH is a government agency, they’re a bit more training-focused. They’re doing a service to the country by training the next generation of scientists.”