The Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) honored Rex Archer, MD, MPH, Kansas City University (KCU) professor and director of population and public health, with their esteemed F. Douglas Scutchfield Leadership Award in recognition of his outstanding contributions toward strengthening public health infrastructure and improving the governmental public health system.
Named in honor of F. Douglas Scutchfield, MD, one of PHAB’s founders, the award is designed to honor individuals like Scutchfield who have made significant and lasting contributions to public health performance improvement, organizational excellence and exemplary service to PHAB.
Archer has a unique history with Dr. Scutchfield, whom he later referred to affectionately as "Scutch." Their relationship began 44 years ago when Archer, as a fourth-year medical student, attended a national meeting of the Association of Teachers of Preventative Medicine. He was there seeking mentorship and guidance about pursuing his residency in preventive medicine and public health, having followed Dr. Scutchfield's publications and career. Years later, in 2008, Archer and Scutchfield became founding members of the PHAB.
Archer led the city’s health department for 23 years before joining KCU. In that role, he was instrumental in guiding Kansas City through the COVID-19 pandemic. Under his leadership, the Kansas City, Missouri, Health Department 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 and one of only a few to have earned both national reaccreditation from the Public Health Accreditation Board and led its community to a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Culture of Health Prize. Additionally, 740 peer local health departments ranked the Kansas City Health Department among the top five local health departments in the nation serving as a model for new public health programs, evidence-based practices and policies intended to improve community health.
At KCU, Archer collaborates within and across the University’s academic programs to integrate public health education into the preclinical curriculum and create clinical clerkship experiences for medical students. He was instrumental in helping to create the vision for KCU’s new Center for Population Health and Equity aimed at engaging communities in addressing the factors that impact health—the social and structural determinants that contribute to health inequities. The Center’s focus will be on the communities served by KCU’s two campuses located in Kansas City and Joplin, Missouri, where significant disparities persist and prevent respective underserved urban and rural populations from attaining their full health potential.
The PHAB presented the award to Archer during its annual meeting, held on KCU campus in honor of Archer as he stepped down from PHAB after 16 years of service.
“It is fitting that this award ceremony would be held here at KCU, in the Butterworth Center, in 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 KCU 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.”
The news of this honor carrying Dr. Scutchfield's name held profound meaning for Archer, given their decades-long professional relationship and personal friendship.
“When you get an award named after somebody who has been a mentor, a close friend and colleague, it holds significant meaning,” said Archer. “There are many great minds in public health. I am humbled to receive this recognition.”
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