A promising early-career scientist, Reed was entering her fourth year as a PhD candidate studying molecular microbiology and microbial pathogenesis in the Roy and Diana Vagelos Division of Biology & Biomedical Sciences (DBBS) at WashU Medicine.

Reed is remembered by the WashU Medicine community for her kindness, quiet strength and unwavering commitment to academic excellence.

Reed took on an innovative thesis project investigating how microbes contribute to the progression of skin cancer. She discovered that certain bacteria enhance tumor aggressiveness and metastatic potential, revealing how environmental factors can not only increase cancer risk but also drive the poorly understood transition to metastatic disease.

Reed established herself as a leader among graduate students at WashU Medicine and formed deep connections with other scientists in training through her involvement in Next Generation Science Scholars, a professional development and mentoring program for research-focused undergraduates from first-generation and low-income backgrounds. She was also active in the Association of Black Biomedical Graduate Students (ABBGS).

This past April, Reed helped organize the Interdisciplinary Conference for Networking, Supporting and Promoting Inclusive Research Endeavors at WashU Medicine, hosted by ABBGS. She worked alongside peers and faculty including Tracey Hermanstyne, PhD, the assistant dean of Academic Pathway Programs and assistant professor of developmental biology at WashU Medicine.

Before coming to St. Louis for graduate school, Reed completed a post-baccalaureate research program at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., where she studied the relationship between high-fat diets, gut microbiota and obesity-associated inflammation. In 2022, she earned a bachelor of science degree in chemistry, with a concentration in biochemistry, from Alcorn State University in her home state of Mississippi.