2008 Woodie Awards
Dr. Emily Archer named 2007 Distinguished Alumna
Brittani Wray
Issue date: 4/5/07 Section: Front Page
|
Archer continued her education at the University of Texas at Austin and completed medical school at the Southwestern Medical School in Dallas.
Upon earning her degree, she completed her residency at the Brigham and Women's Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital. Then she returned to Amarillo, and she's been practicing medicine since 1986. She is the first female ob/gyn to have a private practice in Amarillo.
According to Norma Stary, AC's marketing cooridinator, in order to receive the Distinguished Alumni honor, the recipient first must be nominated. Each nominee is required to fill out an application and complete an essay.
Following the application and essay, a committee made up of a mixture of 12 AC faculty, staff and students, last year's recipient and another representative of AC's alumni choose from the applicants who will receive the award.
Brenda Rush, a student supports services instructor, nominated Archer for this year's honor.
"Emily Archer was one of the first doctors I met when moving to Amarillo about 20 years ago," Rush said. "From the start, I was impressed with the way she approached her work."
Rush said she was moved by the fact Archer stayed on track with developments in the field while managing to "give unhurried time to her patients." Rush said she also was impressed by Archer's ability to balance her family and her career.
"Over the years, she has revised her practice so that it changes with her," Rush said.
"When delivering babies at all hours of the night interferred with her own children (she has four), Emily stopped doing that part of her job and changed her office hours. She began seeing patients only in the mornings so she could go home at noon and play withher children.
"She could have worked longer hours, built a bigger practice and made more money, but she had her priorities right, and her family came first."
Archer's balance between work and family prompted Rush to make the nomination.
"As a woman and as an adviser, I have always been interested in how women merge their careers and their family time without ignoring themselves," she said.
Rush said she also appreciates the positive attitude Archer has concerning AC.
"She spoke highly of the education she received at AC, and she thinks it was the right place for her to begin her college career," Rush said.
"She sees AC as a wonderful resource for our community.
"Dr. Archer has successfully merged her professional skills with her personal role as a wife and mother. She has shown by her example just how successful students who get their start at AC can be."
Archer will receive her award at the Honors Convocation April 22.
Be the first to comment on this story