KANSAS CITY, Mo., June 21, 2024 ~ Kansas City University (KCU) professor and director of population and public health, Dr. Rex Archer, has been honored with the prestigious F. Douglas Scutchfield Leadership Award by the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB). This award recognizes Archer's outstanding contributions towards strengthening public health infrastructure and improving the governmental public health system.

The F. Douglas Scutchfield Leadership Award is named after one of PHAB's founders and is given to individuals who have made significant and lasting contributions to public health performance improvement, organizational excellence, and exemplary service to PHAB. Dr. Archer has a unique history with Dr. Scutchfield, whom he affectionately refers to as "Scutch." Their relationship began 44 years ago when Archer, then a fourth-year medical student, attended a national meeting of the Association of Teachers of Preventative Medicine seeking mentorship and guidance about pursuing his residency in preventive medicine and public health. Over the years, they became colleagues and founding members of PHAB in 2008.

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Before joining KCU, Dr. Archer led the Kansas City, Missouri Health Department for 23 years where he played a crucial role in guiding the city through the COVID-19 pandemic. Under his leadership, Kansas City was the only health department in the nation to win the National Association of County and City Health Official's Local Health Department of the Year award more than once. It was also one of only a few departments to receive both national reaccreditation from PHAB and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Culture of Health Prize. Additionally, under Dr. Archer's leadership, 740 peer local health departments ranked Kansas City Health Department among the top five in the nation for its innovative programs and evidence-based practices aimed at improving community health.

At KCU, Dr. Archer works collaboratively with various academic programs to integrate public health education into the preclinical curriculum and create clinical clerkship experiences for medical students. He also played a crucial role in the development of KCU's new Center for Population Health and Equity, which aims to engage communities in addressing the social and structural determinants that contribute to health inequities. The Center will focus on the underserved urban and rural populations served by KCU's two campuses located in Kansas City and Joplin, Missouri.

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The PHAB presented the award to Dr. Archer during its annual meeting, which was held on KCU's campus in honor of his retirement from PHAB after 16 years of service. "It is fitting that this award ceremony would be held here at KCU, in the Butterworth Center; the very room where the PHAB first drafted a public health code of ethics in 2000, when Dr. Archer was a key participant," said Marc B. Hahn, president and CEO of KCU. "All these years later we are fortunate to have a leader of Dr. Archer's caliber on our Kansas City University team, and we are pleased that he has received this much-deserved recognition as he follows our mission of improving the well-being of the communities we serve."

For Dr. Archer, receiving an award named after his mentor and close friend holds significant meaning. "When you get an award named after somebody who has been a mentor, a close friend and colleague, it holds profound meaning," said Archer. "There are many great minds in public health, and I am humbled to receive this recognition."

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