We are excited to announce we have a record number of Jan Maudlin Sarcoma Scholars for the 2024-2025 year. We have selected 13 medical school and advanced practice students! The Jan Maudlin Scholars Program awards annual scholarships for medical and advanced practice students to support Rein in Sarcoma’s mission with the goal of educating the medical community and public about sarcoma cancers. Thanks to the generosity of Jan and Tim Maudlin, each year new scholarships are granted. This month we would like to share more information the scholars. It’s time to meet Clare, Harper and William, medical students from the University of Minnesota Medical School.
Clare Keddy
Clare was born and raised in northern California and earned a BA from Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon. After graduating, she spent four years working in pediatric cancer research investigating mechanisms of resistance to targeted therapies. She is currently a second year MD/PhD student at the University of Minnesota. She has completed her first year of medical school and will finish her second before starting her graduate training in the Molecular Pharmacology & Therapeutics graduate program. Her longer term research interests are to work in the identification of molecular drivers of disease and the development of new targeted therapeutic options. She hopes to pair these research interests with a clinical practice in oncology or pathology to take advantage of the privilege of training as a physician scientist.
As a Sarcoma Scholar, Clare looks forward to connecting with and learning from the Rein in Sarcoma community and sharing that information with the clinical and research groups that she is a part of now and throughout her career.
Harper O’Neill
Harper is a second year medical student at the University of Minnesota School Duluth campus. She earned a BS in Neuroscience and a MS in Biochemistry at Colorado State University. Prior to medical school, she worked in biotechnology to develop biomarkers for cancer screening and point of care testing for infectious disease. She is interested in oncology as a specialty, and is passionate about the intersection of medicine, research, and education. As a sarcoma scholar, she is excited to teach others about sarcomas, contribute to research, and connect with patients and their communities.
William Shawn Morris
William completed his undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He discovered medicine later in life, while working as an engineer in orthopedics. During his 10-year engineering career, his interest in cancer was inspired while working on medical devices and implants for cancer patients. His interest in cancer research grew during his graduate studies at the University of Minnesota where he worked on cancer gene therapy and immunology research in Dr. Subree Subramanian’s lab. William is now a 2nd year medical student at the University of Minnesota Medical School, and plans to pursue orthopedic surgery. His career as an engineer taught him the importance of innovation, and merging of engineering and medicine to advance medical treatments. As a Jan Mauldin Sarcoma Scholar, William is excited to expand education, awareness, and treatment of sarcoma cancer.