- College of Medicine
A passion for seeing students excel and a spirit of hard work are two key ingredients in Celia Linton’s recipe for success.
Linton is the recipient of the American Academy of Neurology 2019 Clerkship Coordinator Recognition Award, a national recognition for creativity and innovation for ensuring the future of neurology.
“For the last five years, I’ve been working very, very hard to make sure the program is successful, Linton said. “We have had our challenges, but I feel all these challenges have made me a greater person and have helped me to make a good impact on the neurology clerkships.”
Third and fourth year UCF medical students rotate through a set of required core clerkships in internal and family medicine, general surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, psychiatry and neurology, and get hands-on experience learning working with patients in hospitals and physician offices in the Central Florida community.
As clerkship coordinator, Linton coordinates the placement of students, recruiting physicians and hospitals to serve as preceptors, coordinate student schedules, and visiting site locations to ensure students are fulfilling the requirements of the clerkship. For her, building and maintaining strong relationships with physicians and hospitals has been paramount to the success of the neurology program.
Linton credits her Jamaican mother for her strong work ethic.
“She always reminded me that my name is a part of everything I do. So my mother instilled in me the importance of setting goals and making sure that I’m working with the organization to accomplish these goals.”
Working with the passionate and ambitious students, she says, also fuels her passion for the job and pushes her to work harder.
“Celia has played a major role in the cultivation and development of clerkship partnerships,” said Dr. Stephen Berman, director of neurology clerkship and who nominated her for the award. “She not only helps us maintain existing faculty relationships, but she has been of major help in assisting us in our efforts to branch out and recruit new faculty.”
Linton, who has a Master’s degree in health services administration from UCF, was a clinical coordinator at the Ross University Medical School. She will be formally recognized during the AAN’s Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on May 6.