Packers' Aaron Rodgers gets honorary doctorate

June 1 (UPI) -- Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers can now be referred to as Dr. Rodgers.

The two-time NFL MVP received an honorary doctorate of humanities on Thursday from the Medical College of Wisconsin.

Rodgers thanked the school for the gesture on Instagram.

"Thank you so much to the @medicalcollegeofwi for giving me the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Humanities," Rodgers wrote for the caption on a photo of himself wearing a white doctor coat.

"This is a special recognition for me, and I'm very thankful to the @maccfund for the opportunity to work alongside them in the fight against Childhood Cancer. Thank you to Jon McGlocklin and John Cary for their leadership and vision to make a difference everyday, and to the amazing kids and their families for the inspiration to raise funds and awareness, to aid in this fight. The work is not done, and we will continue to press on toward our goal of giving these kids a chance to live a healthy life. Thank you to all the fans, supporters and donors who have aided our efforts! Lastly, congratulations to the students who will be graduating tomorrow from the Medical College of Wisconsin."

Rodgers, 34, attended the University of California, Berkeley in 2003 and 2004 but did not earn a degree at the school. He left campus after his junior season to become the No. 24 overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft.

Rodgers received the honor due to his commitment to end childhood cancer and blood disorders. He helped raise $2.8 million for research impacting thousands of lives, according to a news release from the school.

"It is with great pride that we welcome Aaron to the MCW community. Honorary degree recipients exemplify the MCW commitment to the highest standards of education, scholarship, innovation or community engagement," MCW president and chief operating officer Dr. John R. Raymond, Sr. said in the release.

"When conferring an honorary degree, we honor those individuals in our community who have embraced our ideals and have dedicated a substantial portion of their lives to bettering the world around them."

The Green Bay Packers Foundation has granted nearly $350,000 in support of impact grants for scholarship, curriculum development for the medical school's Green Bay campus and other initiatives. The Green Bay campus welcomed its first class in 2015.