Wayne State University School of Medicine Class of 2018 medical student Joshua Rivers will receive one of only two $1,000 American Medical Association Minority Scholars Physicians Loan Awards, given nationally by the American Medical Association Foundation's Minority Scholars Selection Committee.

"I felt blessed and very grateful. I felt truly inspired to be recognized on the national level," he said.

The AMA Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the American Medical Association, advances public health and medical scholarship through philanthropic support of physician-directed initiatives.

"Joshua is extremely hardworking and an amazing young man. He is an inspiration to us all. I am so happy that the committee selected him as a recipient," said Assistant Dean of Student Affairs and Career Development Lisa MacLean, M.D.

Rivers, of Detroit, is active in several student organizations and projects through the school's Co-Curricular Programs, which requires 75 hours of volunteer service during the first and second years of medical school.

"Through this program I have become part of some longstanding organizations, such as Street Medicine Detroit, a student-based free clinic that provides health care to the homeless population; Fit Kids 360, a health-based program that provides children with medical students as mentors and coaches to help guide them on their path to become healthier through diet and exercise; and Code Blue,  a health-based program where medical students teach children about various important aspects of their health, including dental hygiene, general hygiene and diet, just to name a few," he said.

He also is a student instruction leader for the school, responsible for tutoring and leading academic discussion for first-year medical students. He is president of the school's chapter of the Black Medical Association.