The Lawless L. and Mathea Helen Mollere Pre-Medicine Scholarship supports students in the College of Letters & Science who aspire to be physicians and medical researchers. Recipients are selected from a highly competitive pool. This year’s scholarship recipients not only excel in their pre-med coursework and research, but also underscore the importance of patient care, creativity, service and a liberal arts education.
Amy Liang
It’s not just health that impacts healthcare. Amy Liang sees medicine as “the intersection of science, service and lifelong learning.” Majoring in political science and neurobiology with a certificate in health policy, Liang’s interdisciplinary path has revealed health “not only as a biological phenomenon, but as one shaped by policy, access, education and social context.”
Liang’s philosophy has been shaped by her work with immigrant and refugee populations through American Community Medical Services and the UW Maternal Child Health Equity & Safety Lab.
“These experiences reinforced my desire to practice medicine in settings where trust, cultural humility and advocacy are essential,” says Liang.
Alongside UW–Madison faculty, Liang currently conducts scientific research with the Ausderau Lab and previously in the Arendt Lab. While off campus, she served as an intern for the Wisconsin State Legislature and a community health intern at the Rock County Public Health Department. Liang has also interned at the Literacy Network, where she developed a health literacy research project and received a Wisconsin Idea Fellowship.
With this scholarship, Liang plans to attend a study abroad program on global policy and healthcare systems and participate in academic conferences to learn from and work with others both locally and globally.
“I am deeply motivated by the belief that medicine does not exist in isolation and that understanding health requires engagement with policy, culture and global systems.” she says.
Madeline Koppes
Madeline Koppes has a deep understanding of the importance of patient care. Her work as a nursing care partner at the UW Hospital has shown her the deep impact that healthcare leaves on others. Koppes’ experience working with medical staff informed her decision to pursue a career in medicine, and possibly psychiatry. She is majoring in neurobiology and psychology and fascinated by the brain, noting that it is “widely considered the least understood organ.”
Koppes’ professional goals and compassion were also shaped by personal experiences. She was born with a rare form of dwarfism that developed into other complications, causing her to spend a great deal of time at the hospital in the care of hardworking nurses, physicians and clinical staff.
“I strive to become a physician and give back the same dedication and care that was given to me,” she says.
Koppes has taken on multiple research projects and leadership roles. She currently works with Dr. Tuo (Peter) Li, a UW pediatric orthopedic surgeon, conducting retrospective studies on surgical protocols and outcomes. She is the first author on a deep venous thrombosis manuscript from this work. Koppes is the president of the Pre-Student Osteopathic Medical Association (Pre-SOMA) and a member of the pre-health honor society, Alpha Epsilon Delta. Last year she also worked as a research assistant in the Jones Lab in the Department of Neurology.
With this scholarship, Koppes plans to dedicate more time to her art. She is an avid photographer and painter, painting landscapes from her photographs. Koppes’ artwork was on display in the atrium of the UW Hospital as part of a six-month exhibit.
Samanyu Jadhav
Samanyu Jadhav’s interest in oncology is found in history: both Jadhav’s and the world’s. In fifth grade, Jadhav read about the ancient Egyptian physician, Imhotep, and the earliest recorded instance of cancer in Siddhartha Mukherjee’s The Emperor of all Maladies. Jadhav says that Mukherjee’s book and Imhotep’s statements “struck a chord, underscoring that despite thousands [of] years of progress, from the first surgical excision by the ancient Greeks to the advent of radiation and chemotherapy, cancer continues to challenge modern medicine.”
Jadhav pursued this interest in high school by conducting research in the UW’s Murtaza Lab, studying the utility of circulating cell-free DNA for cancer detection.
“Through this work, I learned how to formulate meaningful scientific questions and systematically pursue answers,” Jadhav says. “However, it was only through my shadowing and clinical experiences as a CNA and ICU volunteer that I saw the human weight behind those questions. I witnessed how trust in nurses, physicians, hospital staff, families and even in me overcame uncertainty to provide patients with care and dignity during their most vulnerable moments.”
Jadhav continues to volunteer his time at Gilda’s Club, which provides support for cancer patients, and Bridging Wisconsin, a program funded by the Wisconsin Idea Fellowship that connects the Oneida Nation School System and community to UW resources.
Jadhav plans to use the scholarship to explore interdisciplinary connections and pursue his passion for sewing by adding a textile and fashion design certificate to his biochemistry and data science majors. What initially began as a “simple afternoon activity became a lasting outlet for my creativity. …Sewing became a hands-on way for me to problem solve, iterate and express my identity.”
The Lawless L. and Mathea Helen Mollere Pre-Medicine Scholarship selection committee congratulates the recipients on this tremendous achievement. The selection committee appreciates the students’ intellectual curiosity, breadth of experiences and skills and their deep care of others. The College of Letters & Science values the time and insights of the committee. Their service helps support pre-medical students as they expand their minds, gain valuable experiences and prepare themselves to serve others through medicine.