The Rath Foundation - An Enduring Legacy at UW-Madison

I was part of the TRIUMPH (Training in Urban Medicine and Public Health) program, which was an amazing experience and one of the most worthwhile and impactful things I've ever been done. I spent my third and fourth years of medical school based out of Milwaukee. This program provided the foundational skills in underserved medicine and public health that I use daily as part of my career taking care of vulnerable patient populations in Minneapolis. The Rath scholarship was truly amazing! Medical school is very expensive, so to have it completely paid for was unexpected. I feel unbelievably privileged and have so much gratitude for my scholarship. The scholarship took significant financial pressure off me, which allowed me the space to pursue my academic interests. Because of the scholarship I had the financial resources to pursue a dual MD/MPH degree through UW–Madison. I am now an attending family medicine physician in the Twin Cities. I provide full spectrum care delivering babies, making rounds in the hospital, and taking care of patients in a clinic setting as their primary care doctor. I have tried to pay the generosity back through mentoring premed and medical students. I also donate to local organizations that are doing great work in my community. My education benefited greatly from scholarships in college and medical school and I fully intend to contribute to the education of others in the future. I cannot begin to fully explain how much of a difference this scholarship made. I am starting out my career on solid financial footing. Where most of my medical school classmates have somewhere between $100,000 and 200,000 in debt, I am virtually debt free other than a small amount from college. This means I am able to fully contribute to my retirement savings, buy a house, and make career choices not based on need but based on my values. Thank you for all the financial support you continually provide. You have changed countless lives for the better. By removing financial strains from the equation, you have allowed so many people to pursue the training and careers the world needs rather than what is simply financially safe.

Lily Thompson MD'19, MPH'19 Appleton, Wisconsin

Doctor of Medicine Masters in Public Health

MD-MPH Dual Degree Program Training in Urban Medicine and Public Health Path of Distinction in Public Health Family Medicine Residency

“You have allowed so many people to pursue the training and careers the world needs rather than what is simply financial safe.”

SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AND PUBLIC HEALTH