David Buxton has always believed in the value of volunteer service. That dedication led to his being named as the first recipient of the Harry and Zackia Shaia Scholarship that offers four-year support to a student with a demonstrated commitment to the community.

Next year, he will have responsibilities above and beyond those that come with his Brown University psychiatry residency. Buxton has been selected by the Journal of the American Medical Association as one of 12 students who will serve as next year’s editors of Virtual Mentor.

The online publication encourages medical students to discuss bioethics topics, and Buxton has already claimed a theme for his issue: pediatric palliative care. It’s a topic that reflects Buxton’s plans for his own career. He has regularly spent time shadowing Bob Archuletta, a local physician who was among the first to become board-certified in pediatric palliative care. Buxton already has a publication credit in the field with his account of grappling emotionally and spiritually with a patient’s death, which appeared in the Journal of Palliative Medicine last year.