Each year, outstanding students from the College of Letters & Science are selected from a competitive applicant pool for the Lawless L. and Mathea Helen Mollere Pre-Medicine Scholarship. The Mollere Pre-Medicine Scholarship seeks to honor and provide funds for rising junior or senior pre-medicine students to expand on their healthcare experiences as well as explore breadth within the liberal arts. The 2024 Mollere Scholarship winners are shining examples of these values and a commitment to the medical profession.
Corinne Kelling ’26 (Chanhassen, Minnesota)
College of Letters & Science Bachelor of Science, majoring in Biology and Spanish; certificate in Biocore (Biology Core Curriculum Honors)
Corinne Kelling is passionate about medicine and healthcare inequity. “I have aspired to build a career in medicine that will allow me to break down some of the healthcare disparities and provide everyone with the healthcare they need and deserve, regardless of physical, language or cultural barriers,” she says. Kelling is fluent in Spanish and plans to use her scholarship to fund a study abroad experience in a Spanish-speaking country. “I hope to use my language abilities to transcend the prominent language barriers in medicine and be of use to patients who speak Spanish as a first or only language.”
Kelling also hopes to attend medical conferences with the support of her scholarship to present her independent research findings and connect with other students and professionals. Kelling currently performs data analysis for the Barnes Lab within the Department of Kinesiology and is also beginning an independent research project studying the timing of menopause and its impact on health.
Kelling serves in leadership positions within AHANA-MAPS (African, Hispanic, Asian, and Native American - Minority Association of Pre-Medical Students) and WISER (Women in Scientific Education and Research). She has volunteered with the American Family Children’s Hospital and worked with other organizations like myHealth Young Adult and Teen Clinic, American Red Cross/WISER and Building Disciples missions trips.
Ethan Lin ’25 (New York City)
College of Letters & Science Bachelor of Science, majoring in Microbiology with Honors in the major; certificate in Disability Rights and Services
Ethan Lin has found medical research to be the best home for his insatiable curiosity. The field of medicine “features a unique blend of problem-solving and human interaction to impact the lives of others directly,” he says. Lin has gained significant experience through research opportunities, earning awards and grants for his work.
Lin currently assists the research being done at the Kratz Lab within the Department of Medicine at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health. He also assists the Department of Veterans Affairs National Precision Oncology Program by analyzing data of veterans diagnosed with a rare liver cancer. Outside of the lab, Lin works as an undergraduate exam grader for the Department of Chemistry. He further supports his UW peers as head physics facilitator of the Peer Learning Association and a WISCIENCE research peer leader. Previously, Lin has served as a Madison Children’s Museum STEM fellow, a community engagement field trip coordinator with the Morgridge Center for Public Service and a UnityPoint Health Meriter Hospital volunteer.
Being selected for the Mollere Pre-Medicine Scholarship will allow Lin to attend medical conferences and to focus more time on his love of music. Lin has 12 years of experience playing instruments, but he has found little time to further this interest in college. He hopes to rediscover his musical talents and share them through social media by recording covers of songs where he has done all the instrumentation and arrangement.
The College of Letters & Science thanks the Mollere Pre-Medicine Scholarship selection committee for their service in supporting this scholarship process and pre-medical students on-campus.