Dr. Carlos "Kent" Campbell

Dr. Carlos "Kent" Campbell, MD, MPH

Over the course of his long and remarkable career, Dr. Carlos “Kent” Campbell, MD, MPH, made profound contributions to our college, to the University of Arizona, and to global health. Fondly known among his colleagues as the Impatient Global Optimist, Dr. Campbell began his professional service as a pediatrician with the United States Public Health Service at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In that role, he and his family were based in El Salvador for 4 years working with the Ministry of Health on nation-wide malaria control. This experience began his lifelong focus on the eradication of malaria.

Following his service with the CDC, Dr. Campbell joined the faculty of the University of Arizona Health Sciences Center where he worked to establish the Arizona College of Public Health—the first in the Southwest. As the Interim-Dean of the College, Kent recruited faculty and helped the College achieve its first accreditation.

Beginning in 2003, Dr. Campbell served as a consultant to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Infectious Diseases Program where he contributed to the development of the Foundation's malaria control program in Africa. Based on that experience, he launched the Malaria Control and Elimination Partnership in Africa (MACEPA) with the nonprofit global health organization PATH, and went on to serve as the founder and director of the PATH Malaria Center of Excellence. As director, Kent worked collaboratively to develop malaria control programs that currently operate in more than 40 African nations and have substantially reduced the spread of the disease on the continent. Campbell’s leadership contributed to enormous progress in the fight against malaria in Africa—where more than 90 percent of malaria deaths occur—paving the way for many African nations to work towards controlling and ultimately eliminating this dangerous disease.

Kent’s leadership during the early years of the College of Public Health started us on a path towards success. To give back to the College, Kent and his wife Liz established the Carlos “Kent” C. & Elizabeth “Liz” K. Campbell International Public Health Internship Endowment. Their endowment provides support and opportunities for outstanding Master in Public Health students in the College who are committed to bringing public health to global communities.

Kent’s leadership, vision, and collaborative spirit have always inspired others to public health service. We are forever grateful for his many contributions to the College, and we thank him for all he has done to eliminate malaria around the world. Congratulations Kent on this much deserved recognition, we are grateful for your continued impatient global optimism!

Jerry Cohen, Dean Iman Hakim, Dr. Carlos "Kent" Campbell, Liz Campbell, Mel Zuckerman, and Donna Knight at the 2019 Scholarship Luncheon