The Lawless L. and Mathea Helen Mollere Pre-Medicine Scholarship supports aspiring physicians and medical researchers in the College of Letters & Science. Each year, juniors and seniors are selected from a highly competitive pool. This year’s scholarship recipients go above and beyond their pre-med coursework, highlighting the importance of a liberal arts education in medicine.
Genevieve Simmons
BS in Biology; Honors in the Liberal Arts; Certificate in Business
Simmons has pursued a variety of experiences across multiple medical disciplines while maintaining a strong commitment to community engagement. While interning at a plastic surgery practice, she witnessed firsthand impact of medicine on individuals’ lives. She assisted with the care of a patient who, after a traumatic incident, feared permanent scaring on their face. When the bandages were removed, the patient reacted with profound gratitude upon seeing their unscarred face. Reflecting on this moment, Simmons shared, “Every challenge, every long hour, becomes worthwhile for the chance to bring that sense of healing to another being.”
Simmons currently works as an emergency medical technician for two different ambulance services. She is the Outreach Officer for BadgerEMS, is on the Advocacy & Awareness Committee for AED Prehealth Honors Society and conducts research in the Musculoskeletal Biology and Regenerative Medicine Lab. She has also served as a Get Out the Vote Fellow for the Wisco Project, demonstrating her broader dedication to civic engagement.
With the Mollere scholarship funds, she plans to attend a summer fellowship in Israel with TAMID Group. “By immersing myself in a global setting and collaborating with individuals from diverse, often marginalized cultural and professional backgrounds, I’ll be able to return with a more holistic approach to my pre-medical journey.”
Sascha Krause
BS in Neurobiology and Spanish; Certificates in Health Policy, Global Health and Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies
Krause balances a busy academic, work and extracurricular schedule. In addition to her studies, she is a National STEM Posse Scholar of New York, a member of the Wisconsin International Scholars Program and holds a position as a resident advisor, also known as house fellow. Krause is passionate about serving the community through volunteer work with Dreamers of Wisconsin and University Hospital’s Emergency Department. Krause is currently completing psychology research at the Waisman Center Child Emotion Lab, as well as a Spanish independent study focused on medicine and healthcare for the Latino community in the United States.
In the past, Krause has completed research with the School of Medicine and Public Health’s Center for Health Disparities Research, a microbiology research internship at Chiang Mai University in Thailand, interned within NYU Langone's Neurocritical ICU, served as a research delegate at the United Nations and was an Undergraduate Plummer Scholar at the Mayo Clinic.
Krause plans to study abroad next year, attending the University of Sydney in Australia, where she will hold an internship in Health Policy while completing neurobiology courses. In the spring, she will implement her fluency in Spanish while conducting research or volunteering as she completes her Spanish major in Madrid, Spain.
Joscelyn Brennan
BS in Biology and Spanish; Certificate in Global Health
Research at UW–Madison has had a profound impact on Brennan education and goals. “The most valuable lesson I learned from my research experience is the application of the scientific method. This approach has given me a structured framework to investigate hypotheses, design experiments, and draw evidence-based conclusions. These skills aren’t just vital for research but are also directly transferable to clinical practice, where diagnosing and treating patients requires a similar methodical approach.”
Outside of the classroom, Brennan volunteers with the Community Resource Navigator Program and the Neighborhood House Community Center, serves as a mentor through the Wisconsin Pre-Medical Society and works as a resident assistant/assisted living caregiver at Capitol Lakes Assisted Living Community in Madison.
With this scholarship, Brennan plans to study abroad in Alcalá, Spain, where she will take a Spanish for medical professions class. This experience will provide firsthand exposure to challenges and solutions in global health and immersion in new cultures that will allow for immense personal growth. “These qualities are important for medical professionals because they improve one’s ability to connect with patients from diverse backgrounds,” Brennan says.
The scholarship committee commends these three students on their hard work and dedication to their studies while taking steps to prepare themselves to become capable, compassionate, and curious medical practitioners. The College of Letters & Science thanks the Mollere Pre-Medicine Scholarship Committee for their service in supporting this scholarship process and pre-medical students on-campus.