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Transformational gift will name an MCW institute and campus building and
welcomes a nationally renowned genomic medicine expert as executive director.
MILWAUKEE, Wis. – Oct. 19, 2026 – The Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) today announced a historic $50 million gift from Linda T. and John A. Mellowes and the Charter Manufacturing Foundation to accelerate MCW’s efforts to advance precision medicine and become a destination for health. It is the largest investment ever made in precision medicine at MCW and matches the largest philanthropic gift in the institution’s history.
In recognition of this transformational gift, MCW’s Center for Genomic Sciences and Precision Medicine will be elevated to the Medical College of Wisconsin Linda T. and John A. Mellowes Institute for Genomic Medicine and Precision Therapeutics, reflecting progress toward becoming a nationally and internationally recognized collaborative for genomics and precision medicine. The gift will also rename the Hub for Collaborative Medicine, the collaborative space at the heart of MCW’s Milwaukee campus, to the Medical College of Wisconsin Linda T. and John A. Mellowes Health Innovation Center.
“We are proud that we can get exceptional, innovative care right here in our hometown, and we want everyone to have that experience,” said Linda T. and John A. Mellowes. “The Medical College of Wisconsin is a place people trust, and when you’re facing a serious health challenge, getting your health back is all about trust. We hope this gift helps more people receive the care they need close to home.”
What the Gift Makes Possible
The Mellowes family’s landmark gift will enable MCW to:
- Build the data infrastructure required to deliver world-class precision care.
- Attract, support and retain top talent in Milwaukee to tackle medicine’s greatest challenges.
- Deliver innovative medical education grounded in genomics and data science.
- Welcome Marni J. Falk, MD, an internationally recognized leader in genomic medicine, mitochondrial disease and precision therapeutics, as executive director of the new Institute.
“We are profoundly grateful to Linda, John and the entire Mellowes family for their visionary leadership and continued generosity,” said Shekar N. Kurpad, MD, PhD, MCW’s president and chief executive officer and the Dr. Bill and Marlene Listwan Leadership Chair for Caring and Character in Medicine. “Their transformational gift will reshape how we understand, prevent, diagnose and treat diseases for generations to come, and will expand access to personalized medicine and improve the standard of care for more people in our communities.”
Precision Medicine: The Next Frontier in Patient Care
Precision medicine aims to deliver the right treatment to the right patient at the right time. It recognizes that no two people are exactly alike and therefore may respond differently to the same therapy. By understanding how genetic differences influence health and disease, physicians can tailor care to each individual and improve outcomes.
The Mellowes family’s generosity will serve as a catalyst for MCW, Children’s Wisconsin and Froedtert ThedaCare Health to think bigger and bolder in pursuit of a future where personalized, lifelong care is the standard for everyone.
MCW has long been a pioneer in this field. In 2009, MCW and clinicians from Children’s Wisconsin became the first in the world to successfully treat a patient by sequencing their genome. Since 2017, MCW’s Center for Genomic Sciences and Precision Medicine has driven translational research that now powers first-in-human clinical trials at Children’s Wisconsin and Froedtert Hospital, serving as the nexus for the three institutions’ shared vision of advancing precision medicine.
The Mellowes family’s foresight in 2022 further laid the groundwork for MCW’s leadership in genomic sciences, and it was this early investment that now propels the next chapter of precision medicine at MCW.
Their latest investment reflects confidence in MCW’s ability to lead and convene that collaborative work — and to become the first in the world to make patient-centered, lifelong, personalized care the standard for everyone, starting with universal sequencing. Elevating the center to institute status strengthens collaboration across MCW’s network of partners, raises visibility and will help attract the competitive research funding needed to accelerate progress in precision medicine.
Welcome, Dr. Falk
Dr. Marni J. Falk joined MCW as the executive director of the Medical College of Wisconsin Linda T. and John A. Mellowes Institute for Genomic Medicine and Precision Therapeutics, effective October 1, 2026. Dr. Falk will guide the Institute’s work to deliver patient-tailored precision medicine across the lifespan, empowering care teams with actionable knowledge of each patient’s genomic makeup at the point of care. Her goal is universal access to genomic sequencing, integrated with dynamic analytics and real-world outcomes data, to accelerate health optimization, risk prevention, diagnosis, management of complex medical conditions and new therapeutic strategies.
“For years, medical treatments have been designed to serve most people. Through genomic science, we can better understand what will work best for each individual patient. By expanding access to genomic sequencing, we can uncover the critical information that helps us personalize prevention, diagnosis and treatment strategies for every person in our care,” said Dr. Falk. “I’m honored to join MCW, a pioneer in using genomic sequencing to identify and treat disease, and I’m grateful to the Mellowes family for investing in a future where more people can benefit from this personalized approach to care.”
Dr. Falk comes to MCW from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), where she served as distinguished endowed chair, professor and executive director of the Mitochondrial Medicine Frontier Program in the Department of Pediatrics at CHOP and University of Pennsylvania (Penn) Perelman School of Medicine.
A nationally and internationally recognized leader in genomic medicine, mitochondrial disease and precision therapeutics, Dr. Falk has built and led pioneering clinical and research programs that have advanced the diagnosis and treatment of rare genetic diseases. Her accomplishments include founding and directing the renowned CHOP Mitochondrial Medicine Frontier Program and leading major international genomics collaborations.
A Center of Health Innovation
Since it opened in 2017, MCW’s Hub for Collaborative Medicine has brought together physicians, researchers, learners, industry partners and healthcare leaders to exchange ideas, build partnerships and advance solutions to medicine’s most pressing challenges. Renaming the building the Medical College of Wisconsin Linda T. and John A. Mellowes Health Innovation Center honors how the gift will continue to inspire innovation in that space — and creates a lasting tribute to a family whose vision continues to shape the future of healthcare in Milwaukee and beyond.
A Legacy of Investing in the Medical College of Wisconsin
The Mellowes family is deeply woven into the fabric of the MCW community — from establishing the foundation of MCW’s precision medicine program, to supporting endowed faculty, to fueling research innovation. Across MCW, the Mellowes name signifies partnership, generosity, vision and a shared commitment to advancing the future of health.
Together, MCW, Children’s Wisconsin and Froedtert ThedaCare Health share a bold vision to become a destination of choice for precision medicine across the lifespan.
“There’s always more that can be done to help people,” the Mellowes said. “We believe our contribution will help bring the benefits of precision medicine to our community, and as more people see the difference it can make, we hope they’ll be inspired to help, too.”
