Oliver R. McCoy was the first CMB leader to assume the title of president, after a long line of directors. He was an expert on helminthology, the study of parasitic worms. He gathered field experience in many countries, including China, the Philippines, India, and Egypt. After service in the U.S. Army, McCoy became a field staff member of the Health Division of the Rockefeller Foundation, for whom he completed assignments in France and Japan. In 1956, McCoy became the China Medical Board’s Assistant Director, and he later became CMB’s Director and President. During his tenure at CMB, McCoy was honored by the Prime Minister of South Korea in 1972.