2002 Dick Martin Scholarships Awarded

HAMILTON, April 3, 2003 –CCOHS announced the 2002 Recipients of Dick Martin Scholarship Award today. This annual, national award established in the memory of Dick Martin, a pioneer of workplace health and safety in Canada is available to post-secondary students enrolled in occupational health and safety programmes. For 2002, CCOHS proudly awarded a $1000 scholarship each to Joan Saary, Etobicoke, Ontario, Karen McCaig, Vancouver, British Columbia and Kristin Holm also of Vancouver, British Columbia.

The three 2002 recipients of the first Dick Martin Scholarship Award come from as different educational and professional backgrounds as could be imagined yet share a common desire to make new inroads in the occupational health and safety field.

Dr. Joan Saary, M.D., M.Sc., one of the 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 P.h.D. 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".

The third recipient of the Dick Martin Scholarship Award is Kristin Holm, B.A., 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 her 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.

As part of the evaluation criteria for the award, applicants submitted essays related to their aspirations in occupational health and safety and were judged on their knowledge of the subject matter, understanding the principles and values of Dick Martin, and understanding the role of CCOHS.

The Dick Martin Scholarship Award is sponsored by CCOHS and Occupational Hygiene Association of Ontario (OHAO), CAW/TCA and the Canadian Labour Congress with additional support from the numerous donations made in his memory following Mr. Martin’s untimely passing from cancer in October 2001.