Classification talk by Alexis Martin

Rotary meeting…………….Nov. 30

Dad, a cook in the Canadian army met my Mom in Holland and brought her back to a poor life in Canada in the remote parts of B.C.

Dad worked for the CNR and moved throughout BC, finally settling in Victoria when I was 15 years old. That is where I met my future husband at high school in the band.

·      Went to U. Victoria obtained a BSC. in zoology and microbiology.

·      Had supported myself through university by working summers as a lab assistant at the Veteran’s hospital in Victoria and decide to obtain my Medical lab. technology degree to obtain a job to support my husband to be.

·      Received by Medical Technology diploma a year later and in the summer got married, moved to Vancouver and supported my  husband through Law school at UBC.

·       Found a job at Vancouver General hospital in the Chemistry lab, a worse job than I could imagine. Shifts, only person handling complex equipment, blood gases and everything stat.

·      To begin my day, I had to collect blood from the patients and seemed to be permanently placed in the wards of severely injured, burn patients or those on dialysis. Got Serum hepatitis from a patient and hospitalized for a month.

·      Decided to leave the VGH as soon as possible ( after 10 months ), and found a job at the university of BC in the microbiology department.

·      I worked under Dr. Barry McBride, who later became the vice president of UBC.

·      I was paid from grants from BC heart foundation and so our research centered on heart research, in particular the disease called bacterial endocarditis.

My research, then spanned 10 years.