Jerry Graham, a third-year medical student at the Wayne State University School of Medicine, has been named one of only 15 ElevateMeD Scholars for 2023.

Each Scholar receives a $16,500 tuition-based scholarship. ElevateMeD, now in its fourth year, has awarded more than $1,212,000 in scholarships.

“To be selected for this honor demonstrates the institution’s and program’s continued advocacy and support for under-represented students in medicine,” Graham said. “It means a great deal to me to learn I was nominated by faculty and then accepted by the ElevateMeD Scholars program. It reminds me that I am doing something right, I guess, and that I belong. I want to thank the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, especially Dr. Leah Robinson, for continued support during my time here at the Wayne State University School of Medicine.”

The 29-year-old Detroiter is considering positions in primary care, critical care and oncology, among others.

He said he selected WSU for his medical education because the School of Medicine “is known for its clinical excellence in an urban setting, and I am certain that this setting—or one like it—is where I would like to continue to work and further develop my career.”

ElevateMeD is a nonprofit organization that provides scholarships, mentorship, leadership training and financial management education to future physicians from African-American, Latino and Native American backgrounds. The Scholars program seeks to increase physician workforce diversity and improve cultural competence among physicians to reduce health disparities.

Graham said he became interested in medicine when he noticed the prevalence of chronic disease in his communities. “Later, as I became more aware of poorer health outcomes for certain communities/ethnicities and the related social determinants of health while an undergrad, I became fascinated with figuring out how these diseases worked, how to treat them, prevent them, and also wanting to know how to ‘cure’ them,” he added.