Email:
amy.mchenry@meu.edu.lb
Bio
Dr. Amy McHenry is the Vice President for Academic Administration at Middle East University, where she also serves as Professor of Biology. She has been part of the MEU academic community since 2020, contributing both as an administrator and a faculty leader, including her service as Interim Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Sciences.
She earned her PhD in Biological Sciences from the University of Notre Dame (2009) and her BS in Biology with Honors from Union College (2004). Before joining MEU, Dr. McHenry served as Honors Program Director and Associate Professor of Biological Sciences at Southwestern Adventist University in Texas, where she was recognized as Educator of the Year in 2016.
Her research focuses on malaria, particularly Plasmodium vivax and the Duffy Binding Protein, with numerous publications in high-impact scientific journals and co-authorship of U.S. patents related to vaccine development. She has received prestigious fellowships and awards, including the Arthur J. Schmitt Presidential PhD Fellowship.
At MEU, Dr. McHenry combines her expertise in science, teaching, and higher education leadership to strengthen academic programs, support faculty development, and promote research excellence in Lebanon and beyond.
EDUCATION
PhD in Biological Sciences, 2009—University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
BS in Biology (Honors), 2004—Union College, Lincoln, NE, USA
EXPERIENCE
Faculty Dean, Arts & Sciences, Middle East University, Beirut, Lebanon, 2020-2024
Honors Program Director, Southwestern Adventist University, Texas, USA, 2017-2020
Associate Professor, Biological Sciences, Southwestern Adventist University, Texas, USA, 2016-2020
Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences, Southwestern Adventist University, Texas, USA, 2011-2016
AWARDS
Educator of the Year—Southwestern Adventist University, 2016.
Arthur J. Schmitt Presidential PhD Fellowship—University of Notre Dame, IN, USA. 2004-2008.
William Dale Leech Award—Department of Math & Science, Union College, Lincoln, NE, USA. 2004
National Merit Scholar, 1999.
PUBLICATIONS
Changrob S, McHenry AM, Nyunt MH, Sattabongkot J, Han ET, Adams JH, Chootong P. (2018) Persistence of long-lived memory B cells specific to Duffy Binding Protein in individuals exposed to Plasmodium vivax. Sci Rep 8(1):8347.
Wongkidakarn S, McHenry AM, Sattabongkot J, Adams JH, Chootong P. (2016) Strain-transcending inhibitory antibodies against homologous and heterologous strains of Duffy binding protein region II. PLoS One 11(5):e0154577.
Chootong P, McHenry AM, Ntumngia FB, Sattabongkot J, Adams JH. (2014) The association of Duffy binding protein region II polymorphisms and its antigenicity in Plasmodium vivax isolates from Thailand. Parasitol Int 63(6): 858-64.
Ntumngia FB, Barnes SJ, McHenry AM, George MT, Schloegel J, Adams JH. (2014) Immunogenicity of a synthetic vaccine based on the Plasmodium vivax Duffy Binding Protein Region II. Clin Vaccine Immunol 21(9): 1215-23.
Ntumngia FB, Schloegel J, McHenry AM, Barnes SJ, George MT, Kennedy S, Adams JH. (2013) Immunogenicity of single versus mixed allele vaccines of Plasmodium vivax Duffy binding protein region II. Vaccine 31(40): 4382-8.
Ntumngia FB, Schloegel J, Barnes SJ, McHenry AM, Singh S, King CL, Adams JH. (2012) Conserved and variant epitopes of Plasmodium vivax Duffy binding protein as targets of inhibitory monoclonal antibodies. Infect Immun 80(3): 1203-8.
King CL, Adams JH, Xianli J, Grimberg BT, McHenry AM, Greenberg LJ, Siddiqui A, Howes RE, da Silva-Nunes M, Ferreira MU, Zimmerman PA. (2011) Fy(a)/Fy(b) antigen polymorphism in human erythrocyte Duffy antigen affects susceptibility to Plasmodium vivax malaria. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 108(50): 20113-8.
McHenry AM, Barnes SJ, Ntumngia FB, King CL, Adams JH. (2011) Determination of the molecular basis for a limited dimorphism, N417K, in the Plasmodium vivax Duffy-binding protein. PLoS One 6(5):e20192.
McHenry AM, Barnwell JW, Adams JH. (2010) Plasmodium vivax DBP binding to Aotus nancymai erythrocytes is Duffy antigen dependent. J Parasitol 96(1): 225-7.
Ceravolo IP, Sanchez BA, Sousa TN, Guerra BM, Soares IS, Braga EM, McHenry AM, Adams JH, Brito CF, Carvalho LH. (2009) Naturally acquired inhibitory antibodies to Plasmodium vivax Duffy binding protein are short-lived and allele-specific following a single malaria infection. Clin Exp Immunol 156(3): 502-10.
Ntumngia FB, McHenry AM, Barnwell JW, Cole-Tobian J, King CL, Adams JH. (2009) Genetic variation among Plasmodium vivax isolates adapted to non-human primates and the implication for vaccine development. AJTMH 80(2): 218-27.
Grimberg BT, Udomsangpetch R, Xainli J, McHenry A, Panichakul T, Sattabongkot J, Cui L, Bockarie M, Chitnis C, Adams J, Zimmerman PA, King CL. (2007) Plasmodium vivax invasion of human erythrocytes inhibited by antibodies directed against the Duffy binding protein. PloS Med 4(12): e337.
McHenry AM, Adams JH. (2006) The crystal structure of P. knowlesi DBPa DBL domain and its implications for immune evasion. Trends Biochem Sci 31(9): 487-91.
Chattopadhyay D, Rayner J, McHenry AM, Adams JH. (2006) The structure of the Plasmodium falciparum EBA175 ligand domain and the molecular basis of host specificity. Trends Parasitol 22(4): 143-5.
PATENTS
Adams, John H.; Ntumngia, Francis B.; Schloegel, Jesse L.; Barnes, Samantha J.; McHenry, Amy M. & Chootong, Patchanee. 2015. Synthetic antigen based on the ligand domain of the Plasmodium vivax Duffy Binding Protein. U.S. Patent 9,120,869, filed March 25, 2014 and issued September 1, 2015.
Adams, John H.; Ntumngia, Francis B.; Schloegel, Jesse L.; Barnes, Samantha J.; McHenry, Amy M. & Chootong, Patchanee. 2014. Synthetic antigen based on the ligand domain of the Plasmodium vivax Duffy Binding Protein. U.S. Patent 8,784,832, filed August 20, 2012 and issued July 22, 2014.
