Dr. Joan Saary, M.D., M.Sc., one of our Dick Martin Scholarship recipients, is not only enrolled in University of Toronto's postgraduate medical specialty training program in Occupational Medicine as well as the Clinician Scientist Program, she is also pursuing her PhD. in medical science. Growing up in a family that included a millwright, an auto mechanic and an occupational nurse, Joan described her interest in occupational health as "only natural". Although occupational medicine is a relatively new field, Joan feels the need is growing considering the challenges of a healthcare system that is treatment-based rather than prevention focused. Expressing her appreciation for a scholarship specifically targeted to occupational health/medicine, Joan described the funding in occupational medicine research as a struggle. Upon completion of her studies, she will be in the position to conduct independent research in occupational medicine and feels it is important for her to use her acquired skills to empower change in our approach to occupational health and our healthcare system.

Karen McCaig, B.Eng. the second scholarship recipient, hails originally from Northamptonshire in the U.K. Karen graduated with her Bachelor of Engineering degree in Mining from ACSM in the U.K. at the top of her class. Karen worked in mining for eight years but it was during her five years with a mining company in Bolivia that she developed an interest in the impact of mining on communities and workers. During that time Karen designed and conducted environmental contamination workshops for Bolivian mining cooperatives and participated in many health and safety initiatives. She is currently completing her first of a two year M.Sc. program at the School of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, University of British Columbia and working on her thesis: Development of human health impact indicators on the evaluation of mining projects. Karen is a self professed world traveler and describes herself as "working her way around the world".

Kristin Holm, B.A., the third recipient of the Dick Martin Scholarship Award is a native to British Columbia. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Simon Fraser University, Kristin extended her summer job to a full time position, driving a Greyhound bus through the Rocky Mountains on the Calgary to Vancouver route, a vocation not without risk! She is also a world traveler having spent extended vacations in India and Nepal. It was her participation on a workplace Health and Safety Committee that inspired her to take various courses in emergency preparedness and leadership, ultimately leading her to enroll in the Occupational Health and Safety Diploma at the B.C. Institute of Technology. She will graduate in May 2003 and is hoping to apply her accumulated skills to make a difference in an organization, helping to foster a health and safety culture and create a workplace that is safe.