El Dorado native Lee Archer named chair of Department of Neurology
LITTLE ROCK — El Dorado native Dr. Robert L. “Lee” Archer has been named chair of the Department of Neurology in the College of Medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
Archer, who has lead the department on an interim basis since July 2016, has served on the UAMS faculty for more than 30 years, providing care for Arkansans with multiple sclerosis, while teaching and mentoring many future neurologists.
Born and raised in El Dorado, he attended El Dorado public schools and competed on the track team, earning an athletic scholarship to the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, where he completed his undergraduate degree before attending UAMS for his medical training. While in college, he spent his summers working as an orderly at Warner Brown Hospital in El Dorado.
His father, Bob Archer, served on the Union County Quorum Court for many years and sold insurance in El Dorado. Several members of his family still live in El Dorado and south Arkansas.
“One of the reasons I wanted to pursue the job of chairman is my desire to give back by helping develop specialized neurologic care for Arkansas that is second to none,” Archer said. “We are also well-positioned to develop a regional level of leadership for our programs in neuroscience research, which would make any Arkansan proud.”
Dr. Pope L. Moseley, Dean of the College of Medicine and executive vice chancellor at UAMS, said Archer was the clear choice for the position.
“We did a nationwide search and Dr. Archer is the leader who can take the department’s education, research and clinical programs to the next level,” Moseley said. “As interim chair, he embraced the significant challenges of leading a department in transition. The department has expanded substantially under his leadership, with his recruitment of nine outstanding physicians and scientists – half of the department’s current faculty.”
Two of those new faculty members were recruited to improve stroke and critical care services, one of Archer’s key areas of focus. Other goals include facilitating the efforts of the Movement Disorders Clinic, including collaborative work with the College of Medicine’s Department of Geriatrics and the UAMS Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging specifically in Alzheimer’s disease, and building on the already strong Multiple Sclerosis Clinic by supporting faculty research.
Archer said he will also focus on strengthening ties with the basic science faculty at UAMS, particularly in bioinformatics, to fully take advantage of research, education and collaboration opportunities. He will advance the department’s research into amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) by filling two endowed chair positions in association with the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology. He will continue to work closely with the UAMS Department of Neurosurgery to ensure patients receive seamless care from diagnosis to surgery to follow-up care.
“I think any leader wants to bring out the strengths in the group, so I want to facilitate the careers of the talented people we have here and bring in more talented people to expand on our strengths,” Archer said.
Archer, who is highly regarded in the MS patient community, will continue to spend about half of his time on patient care. He has trained and hired a second physician, Carolyn Mehaffey, M.D., to continue to serve MS patients in Arkansas and allow the UAMSMS clinic to accept new patients.
Archer received his medical degree from the College of Medicine in 1982. He completed his residency at UAMS, joined the faculty in 1986, and has held the rank of professor since 2008. He founded UAMS’ Multiple Sclerosis Service in 1987 and co-directed the Muscular Dystrophy Association Clinic at UAMS from 1989 to 2003.
Archer served 13 years as chair of the University Hospital Medical Ethics Advisory Committee. He has served on many other institutional panels, including the College of Medicine Promotion and Tenure Committee, which he chaired in 2016-2017.
Archer is president-elect of the Arkansas Medical Society. He is also active in the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and several civic organizations. He has served on the board of directors for the Arkansas Regional Organ Recovery Association (ARORA) since 2005 and chaired the organization in 2014-2016.
Archer has been married to his wife, Nancy, also an El Dorado native, for 40 years.
“Like anyone who is successful in life and in their career, I have a spouse to thank,” Archer said. “She has been the person to encourage me and keep me inspired to keep learning and growing throughout my career.”
Among many honors, Archer was invested in 2007 as the inaugural holder of the Major and Ruth Nodini Chair in Neurology, which was established with $1 million in donations to support his clinical care, research into MS and educational programs. The chair is named after Nancy’s late parents, also of El Dorado. One initiative partially funded by the endowment is the MS Fellowship developed and led by Archer, which graduated its first fellow — new faculty member Mehaffey — in June.
Graduating College of Medicine seniors have awarded Archer three Gold Sash and numerous Red Sash awards for his teaching. He received the Distinguished Faculty Award from the College of Medicine Alumni Association in 2007. In 1999, he received the inaugural Humanism in Medicine Award for faculty in the college. He received the UAMS Helen May Compassionate Care Award in 2015 and was honored later that year as the Physician of the Year in the Arkansas Business Health Care Heroes ceremony. Among many “Best Doctors” recognitions, he was voted in 2010 as the Best Neurologist in Arkansas and featured on the cover of the Arkansas Times.