Two Dalhousie alumni will be heading to Tanzania this summer to work on an innovative research project. Beatrix Yuan (BA’15) and Kelly Lucas (BSc’15) are both Queen Elizabeth II Scholars. This scholarship program fosters a dynamic community of young global leaders who share knowledge, exchange ideas and collaborate on meaningful initiatives through cross-cultural exchanges. Yuan and Lucas will be travelling to Ifakara, Tanzania to research maternal and newborn health at the Tanzanian Training Centre for International Health.

Beatrix Yuan is finishing her second degree from Dal, a Bachelor of Science in Health Promotion.

“I have always been interested in learning about other cultures and other countries, and this opportunity provides me with the chance to learn about health practices in another country,” says Yuan. “I also really enjoy doing research, as it is a lifelong learning process.”

Kelly Lucas, now in her third year of Dalhousie’s nursing program after completing a Bachelor of Science at Dal in 2015, found out that she was accepted into the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship program on the day before her 30th birthday. “I had just flown home from visiting a friend and turned my phone on the tarmac when the email came in. I was ecstatic and shed a few tears of joy on the plane,” says Lucas. She’s interested in increasing cross-cultural communication to solve problems, and sharing results of various projects and studies.

Four other outstanding Dalhousie students are also newly named Queen Elizabeth II Scholars. The Queen Elizabeth Scholarship program is made possible with financial support from the Government of Canada, provincial governments and the private sector.

QEII Scholars (clockwise from left): Beatrix Yuan, Kelly Lucas, Noah Eisner, Jennifer Greene, Genevieve Renaud-Byrne, Justine Dol. (Danny Abriel photos)

Read more in “The experience of a lifetime for Dal’s newest Queen Elizabeth II Scholars” on dal.ca.