What institutions did she attend?

  • St D’Acre Primary School, Jamaica
  • St George’s Girls Primary School, Jamaica
  • St Hugh’s Girls High School, Jamaica
  • The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, Jamaica- Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS), Doctor of Medicine (DM)
  • Yale University School of Medicine and School of Epidemiology, USA, Fellowships in: Paediatric Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology, Molecular and Hospital Epidemiology and Infection Control
  • Johns Hopkins University, USA- Masters in Public Health (MPH)

Other Achievements

  • Vice Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Research, UWI, 2008
  • Lancet’s Paper of the Year Award, 2007
  • International Leadership Award- Elizabeth Glaser Paediatric AIDS Foundation, USA, 2002
  • Excellence in Science – Stephen Preblud Award from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, USA, 2002
  • Leadership in Academia Award, St Hugh’s Girls High School, 2002
  • Fellow, Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh

FUN FACTS:

She plays the clarinet and has performed with the Jamaica Military Band and in the “Professional Women Show”. She also plays for Sunday services at St Luke’s Anglican Church and has made a CD of her favourite clarinet selections.

Celia Christie-Samuels (Date of Birth: 3rd Jan 1954)

Caribbean Women in STI

Professor Celia Christie-Samuels is Professor of Paediatrics (Infectious Diseases, Epidemiology and Public Health) at The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, Jamaica. She also heads the Vaccines Infectious Diseases Centre at the University Hospital, and Jamaica’s Perinatal, Paediatric and Adolescent HIV/AIDS Programme. She participated in several international clinical trials, including one that led to approval of a vaccine for infant gastroenteritis. She also served on the Anti-infective Drugs Advisory Committee of the US Food & Drugs Administration.

UWI has received over four million US dollars in research grants as a result of her collaborative research work. This research includes clinical drug and vaccine trials, and studies on the risk factors for HIV/AIDS in women and children in Latin America and the Caribbean. She has published many papers and abstracts in recognised medical journals on paediatric infectious diseases, mainly HIV/AIDS.

Professor Christie-Samuels chose to be a paediatrician because she wanted to contribute to the health and well-being of children. She strives to ensure that no child in Jamaica will suffer from paediatric and perinatal HIV/AIDS, and is working relentlessly towards its elimination. She has established outreach clinics to care for HIV-exposed and HIV-positive children. She also established a privately funded, mobile health-care facility that cared for more than 1,000 children after Hurricane Gilbert in Jamaica.

Celia Dana Claire Christie-Samuels was born on the 3rd January, 1954 in Westmoreland, Jamaica, and grew up in St Ann and St Andrew. In primary school, her teacher Mrs Amelia Lawrence would write inspirational quotes at the top of the blackboard every week. These quotes were imprinted in Christie-Samuels’ mind and among her favourites is, “The heights of great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight. But they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward through the night…,” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. At secondary school, she was a house captain and, along with her fellow house members, won the first prize for having the best school garden. She was also a member of the school choir and orchestra.

CAREER INFORMATION

What is a paediatrician?

Paediatricians are doctors who specialise in health care for babies, young children and adolescents. They focus primarily on preventative care and the early identification of diseases. Paediatricians measure, weigh and vaccinate their patients to prevent diseases. They check for developmental milestones and are the first to identify serious childhood diseases.

Areas of Specialisation

  • Neonatology
  • Infectious diseases
  • Paediatric ophthalmology
  • Paediatric endocrinology
  • Adolescent medicine
  • Paediatric surgery
  • Paediatric oncology

What do I need to study?

At CSEC and CAPE: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics

A first degree in medicine is required, followed by years of specialisation in the paediatric field.

What skill and traits do I need?

  • Love for children
  • Calm disposition
  • Attention to detail and observational skills
  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
  • Patience and concentration

Famous Paediatricians

  • Abraham Jacobi
  • Benjamin Spock
  • Milton Levine