CanScribe Scholarships

Robert was born in Midland, Ontario on January 11, 1953 and passed away in Nanaimo on November 20, 2009. Robert was the youngest of three. I was the oldest, Doug was the middle child. Our mother and father were divorced when we were very young. Our mother remarried a man who had three sons and then another girl and another boy was born. So there was eight of us altogether. Robert moved to Toronto, Ontario after high school and worked in various jobs there. He then moved to Edmonton, Alberta in 1976 and on to British Columbia in 1977. He lived in Vancouver, Victoria, and finally resided in Nanaimo.

Robert had a great sense of determination and optimism. The more he could learn, the happier he was. He continued his education in B.C. at Simon Fraser University. He also took courses in the culinary field and worked as a chef for many years. He also studied law and worked as a paralegal. He studied religions and languages (he could speak many languages) and took many computer courses. He took a Medical Terminology Course, and Emergency First Aid which included CPR.

Unfortunately, Robert’s health was never great. He was born a “Blue Baby” and not expected to live. He lived with the HIV virus and with cancer. This was a big factor in his determination to be able to work at home and was why he was taking the Medical Transcription course.

Robert was involved with various charitable organizations for many, many years. He cooked numerous meals at food kitchens for the homeless, especially at Christmas and other holidays. He spent time at various senior centres, volunteering, and visiting the residents there. He was an active volunteer at the Nanaimo Parole Citizen Advisory Committee and one of the outstanding jobs he completed for them was their Committee By-laws.

“I am very proud of the things that my brother achieved in his lifetime. I have received so many letters, calls and cards since his passing, all of them telling me how much he was liked and how much he will be missed. Robert spent most of his time helping others. I’m attaching a couple of pictures, one when he was very young. If there is any other information you need, please let me know. Thank you again for setting up this scholarship. It means so much to me that his name will carry on. And I know he would be extremely pleased that his name was helping others. That was his number one goal in his life – to help others.”

– Donna Thompson, Robert’s sister.

About Pat Bowen

Pat Bowen worked as an educational assistant with CanScribe for approximately 6 years, before her untimely passing in January 2019.  Prior to working at CanScribe, Pat worked in the MT industry for over 40 years and held a number of different titles and positions.  Some of the positions she held included medical transcriptionist, QA editor, instructor, trainer, and business owner.  Pat was very involved in AHDI and held a number of leadership positions at the local, state, and national levels, including Director of Training, President AAMT, President of San Diego chapter of AAMT, and President of a Florida chapter of AHDI.  She won the AAMT Educator of the Year award in 1994 and AAMT Member of the Year award in 1996.

Pat was very well liked and respected by students and co-workers.  Members of the instructional team often went to Pat for assistance or suggestions.  She loved working in the MT HDS industry, and would go out of her way to help anyone coming into the industry.

About Glenda Ripley

Glenda began working as an instructor at CanScribe in February 2014.  Prior to working at CanScribe, she had over 25 years’ experience as a medical transcriptionist, QA editor, and business owner. One of her biggest joys was mentoring students and watching as they improved and progressed.  This passion led her to become an addiction recovery coach.  She had also worked as an instructor at Austin Community College in Austin, Texas.

Glenda was a very patient and understanding woman who was always willing to lend a hand to help her fellow co-workers. She was a very happy person with a positive outlook on life. She was loved and respected by students and co-workers alike.