HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – The Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine announces the establishment of the Dr. Molly J. Robinson Mathews Scholarship through the generosity of Mrs. Mary Lou Robinson, in honor of her daughter.  

The endowed scholarship supports entering first-year medical students who are not residents of West Virginia with financial need. The award is renewable for up to three additional years. Robinson surprised her daughter and inaugural recipient of the scholarship, Carina Raya, a first-year medical student from Eliot, Maine, during the school’s annual reunion banquet on September 12. Raya earned her undergraduate degree from the University of New England and her M.P.H. from George Washington University. 

A 1996 graduate of the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, Dr. Molly J. Robinson Mathews has built a distinguished career in pediatrics, emergency medicine, and medical leadership. She completed a combined residency in pediatrics and emergency medicine at Indiana University, where she co-founded a pediatric clinic for victims of domestic violence that became a teaching facility. Over the years, she has served as an attending physician, clinical instructor and mentor to residents and physician assistants, while also leading hospital committees on child protection and quality assurance. 

Mathews has also participated in international medical missions to Peru and the Amazon River Basin and worked with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Geneva, Switzerland. She currently serves as a medical director with Anthem, Inc., in Mooresville, North Carolina. 

“Our family’s connection to Marshall runs deep, and this scholarship is a way to honor Molly’s dedication to medicine while also giving back to a place that has meant so much to us,” said Mary Lou Robinson. “Molly has always combined her compassion for patients with a commitment to service, and it is my hope that this scholarship will support future physicians who share that same spirit of caring and excellence.” 

Mathews’ father, the late Dr. Donald S. Robinson, was founding chair of the Department of Pharmacology at the School of Medicine, helping shape its early academic foundation.  

“With her mother’s generosity and her father’s pioneering leadership, this scholarship reflects both a family legacy and a commitment to supporting the next generation of talented physicians, like Carina,” said Linda S. Holmes, associate dean for development and alumni affairs at the School of Medicine. 

For more information or to make a gift to the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, please contact Holmes at 304.691.1711 or holmes@marshall.edu. 

PHOTO CAPTION: From left: Dr. Molly Robinson Mathews; Carina Raya, inaugural recipient of the Dr. Molly J. Robinson Mathews Scholarship; Melanie Johnson, inaugural recipient of the Dr. Don & Mrs. Mary Lou Robinson Scholarship; and Mrs. Mary Lou Robinson, who established both scholarships. 

Date Posted: Wednesday, September 17, 2025