A third-year Wayne State University School of Medicine student has been selected as one of only eight members of the American Academy of Neurology Foundation’s 2012 Minority Scholars Program.

Gabriel Moreno will receive registration to attend the AAN Annual Meeting in New Orleans in April, round trip airfare, lodging for four nights, and a per diem for meals and ground transportation. He also will attend the luncheon at which the awards will be presented.

“I'm very humbled,” said Moreno, who plans to practice Neurology. “This means a lot to me. I am lucky to have the support of Drs. Richard Lewis, Maher Fakhouri and Ted George (faculty of the Neurology Department).

Dr. Fakhouri, M.D., assistant professor of Neurology and the department’s clerkship director, nominated Moreno for the award.

“Gabriel is very active in his Hispanic community,” Dr. Fakhouri wrote in his nomination. “He identified that our medical school has minimal representation from the Hispanic and Latino communities, and formed the Latin American and Native American Medical Student Association, the first medical student association at Wayne State University committed to raising awareness of the health issues of Hispanic and Latino Americans and to increasing opportunities in medicine for Hispanic and Latinos in the Detroit area. He also coordinated with Latino and Hispanic faculty and trainees in providing role models and mentorship for the students in the school of medicine. Gabriel volunteered as well in screening fairs at the covenant community clinic, a free Detroit inner-city clinic that serves primarily the Hispanic community.”

He also noted that Moreno is working on a mentorship program with middle and high school Hispanic students in the Detroit area and planning a career day. “In short, Gabriel is a dynamic, hard-working student whose initiatives will have a significant impact on his community.”

In 2011, Moreno received the Minority Scholars Award and the Ronald Davis Scholarship from the American Medical Association Foundation. Only 13 of the $10,000 awards were granted across the nation. The AMA Foundation works to increase the number of minority physicians. The award recognizes academic achievement, leadership and community involvement.

A resident of Saginaw, Mich., Moreno completed his undergraduate studies in movement science at the University of Michigan. His interest in medicine began when, as a child, he wanted to learn more about his father’s Parkinson’s disease, coupled with his fascination with his mother’s clinical experiences as a registered nurse.

He also serves as the grassroots organizer for the American Medical Student Association’s Race, Ethnicity and Culture in Health Committee. REACH works to reduce health disparities between racial, ethnic and cultural groups through advocacy, education and service. Its goals include strengthening cultural competency in medical education, promoting diversity of the physician workforce and empowering future physicians to engage in political and social movements to bring about health equity.

Moreno also has been president and a member of the American Medical Association group, and a member of the World Health Student Organization and the American Medical Student Association.