First recipient of Lynn Frank Memorial Scholarship announced

By Gillian Slade on December 14, 2017.

gslade@medicinehatnews.com  @MHNGillianSlade

The Medicine Hat Diagnostic Laboratory Legacy Fund revealed the inaugural recipient of the Lynn Frank Memorial Scholarship in recognition of academic excellence among aspiring medical lab technologists in southeastern Alberta.

Heidi Kennedy, a student of the medical laboratory technology diploma program at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology in Calgary, was selected for her high academic achievement and because she is doing her practicum at the laboratory in Medicine Hat Regional Hospital.

“It is a great facility to learn at,” said Kennedy, grateful for the $2,000 scholarship that will help offset some of her student loans.

Kennedy already feels as though she knows Lynn Frank because so many coworkers have spoken of her. “It is really an honour.”

Frank, who sadly passed away April 23 this year, was manager at the Medicine Hat Diagnostic Laboratory for decades. She began working at MHDL in 1970 and continued until its closure at the end of March this year.

The Legacy Fund was created by MHDL’s former directors, Dr. Wai Kwan Chow and Dr. Judy Lee, who decided on the scholarship when they knew Frank’s illness was terminal. Frank was told of the plan.

“She was thrilled, a fitting tribute,” said Chow, who had worked with Frank since 1977.

Frank had the unique ability to recognize achievement in staff motivating them, said Lee.

“She had the right balance, always a win-win situation. She was dedicated,” said Lee.

Valerie Verge, pre analytics co-ordinator AHS laboratory, was emotional as she remembered Frank.

“She was a mentor and a coach to her employees … In varying degrees Lynn has perhaps touched the lives of two thirds of the people who work in Medicine Hat’s lab today,” said Verge.

In her role as manager, Frank oversaw testing and quality control at the lab, ensuring patients received accurate and timely results. Her personal motto was: “What counts in life is not the mere fact that we live but the difference we make in the lives of others.”

MHDL began in 1965 and provided community outpatient medical laboratory services in the southeastern Alberta region until it closed.

The $2,000 scholarship will be awarded annually to a student exhibiting academic excellence and who does their practicum in Medicine Hat, said Chow.

“Lab services are an integral but often overlooked part of health care. We hope the scholarship shines a light on the sector,” said Chow. “We want to honour Lynn, a close friend, and a true professional, and we want to support those who dedicate themselves to this rewarding profession. Lynn and the rest of us at the MHDL strived to deliver the best service possible. We hope that the next generation, including Heidi, will continue this tradition.”

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