Who’s who at HSE: Sobia Ikram

Meet Sobia!

What's your role at the U of A?

I am a student in the Master’s of Public Health program with a specialization in environmental and occupational health. Currently I am doing a practicum with Health, Safety and Environment (HSE). Working in occupational health and safety allows me to make a difference—I can prevent  work related injuries and help to improve safety culture overall. My practicum project with HSE involves developing internal process improvement tools, supporting department outreach initiatives, and accompanying HSE staff on worksite inspections. Another part of my work is creating a library of standard operating procedures (SOPs) for routine research activities to ensure execution of tasks in accordance with university safety standards.

What have you enjoyed most about your time at the U of A?

I have enjoyed meeting people from diverse cultural backgrounds; the university is very welcoming. Since I completed all of my coursework remotely, it has been nice to have an opportunity to visit campus and to meet my HSE colleagues in person. As an HSE intern, I have been able to visit many different worksites on campus, including laboratories and building operation facilities, and to interact with a variety of staff and students.

If you could be anywhere, right this minute, where would you be?

I would like to be somewhere warmer and spend more time outdoors.

Do you have any skills or talents that most people don’t know about?

I am multilingual (English, French, Urdu, Arabic, Hindi, and Punjabi), enjoy interacting with people around me, and have strong dedication to my work. Also, while I’m not a Master Chef, I do consider myself a pretty good cook for Indian, Pakistani, and French dishes!

To learn more, visit Health, Safety and Environment or contact hse.info@ualberta.ca.