Molly Welsh

My name is Molly Welsh and I am a regional representative for the WSCFF Cancer Foundation and member of Local 1762. I became a career firefighter with Eastside Fire & Rescue 4 years ago after transitioning from academia as a professor of physiology.  Teaching was intellectually stimulating, but not as fulfilling as the 9 years I spent as a volunteer for Nederland Fire department, serving communities in the mountains above Boulder, Colorado.  When I moved to the northwest with my husband, I pivoted my volunteer hobby into a career. It is incredible how my previous training in mentorship and teaching connects to my role within Eastside, the Cancer Foundation, and the Firefighter Cancer Cohort Study for which I am a research liaison. I am involved in the Cancer Foundation because I lost my young and vibrant mother to cancer in my childhood. The outpouring of community support where I grew up in the Chicago suburbs was so impactful that I vowed to commit some part of my life to give back. So far, I feel that I have gained more than I have given by latching onto cancer-related causes that have provided me opportunities for involvement, and this motivates me to continue the good work of the Cancer Foundation for firefighters in Washington.

wscffcancer.org