Three medical students will take a year-long leave of absence from the Wayne State University School of Medicine to participate in the 2016-2017 National Institutes of Health Medical Research Scholars Program, a comprehensive research enrichment program designed to attract the most creative, research-oriented students to the NIH campus in Bethesda, Md.

"This program's focus on medicine 'from bench to bedside' initially interested me. It will also help springboard my career in research since I will have the privilege of working with leading minds from all over the country and world," he said. "I hope to have a very productive year by immersing myself in researching a question important to medicine and developing skills that will make me a successful clinician and scientist. I am excited to spend a year in Bethesda on the NIH campus."

He will join the Class of 2018 when he returns next year.