Tori Allen receives UIC Janice Watkins Award for Distinguished Civil Service
Tori Allen receives UIC Janice Watkins Award for Distinguished Civil Service Heading link
Tori Allen, a medical education program specialist in the University of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford’s Office of Medical Education and Evaluation, received the Janice Watkins Award for Distinguished Civil Service from the University of Illinois Chicago on November 15.
The Janice Watkins Award for Distinguished Civil Service is an accolade given annually to a civil service employee who exemplifies characteristics of former UIC employee Janice Watkins for whom the award is a memorial. These are: a pleasant, warm demeanor; cooperative; well-informed; diligent and dedicated to performing job duties; and involved in activities and/or organizations that are beneficial to the well-being of UIC.
In 2019, Allen joined UICOMR as an office support specialist in the Office of the Dean where she exhibited all of these traits while providing excellent customer service as she handled an endless stream of calls and meeting requests. She was also able to assist with special projects for the college and stepped up to help the Office of Medical Education and Evaluation with the Doctoring and Clinical Skills (DoCS) Course due to staff vacancies. She later applied for the role of medical education program specialist and, in May 2021, she took became the DoCS coordinator full-time.
According to her supervisor, Maureen Richards, PhD, assistant dean for medical education and evaluation, in the two years Allen has worked on this course, her collaborative nature and organizational skills have made significant improvements to the student satisfaction in the DoCS Course.
“Tori’s efforts affect not just the course administration and student satisfaction, but also have had a personal impact on students and faculty alike,” says Dr. Richards. “Tori’s welcoming demeanor allows the students to feel that the Clinical Skills Center is a place they want to be and the course is where they learn effectively.”