Vice Chancellor for External Relations

Chris Kratochvil, MD, is the interim vice chancellor for external relations at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, focusing on government relations, alumni, strategic communications, rural and community initiatives.  Dr. Kratochvil serves as the senior adviser to the Global Center for Health Security and in 2021 was named the inaugural distinguished chair for the Global Center for Health Security. 

Dr. Kratochvil is a fellow of the National Strategic Research Institute and a core competency adviser for Active and Passive Medical Defense against Weapons of Mass Destruction and Consequence Management for the National Strategic Research Institute.  As the medical director of UNeHealth, which serves to support commercial clinical research, he oversees a team focused on commercial contracting and agreements.  He serves as the institutional official for UNMC’s Human Research Protection Program. 

Dr. Kratochvil is a co-principal investigator of the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response National Center for Health Security and Biopreparedness, which trains federal partners and provides quarantine services for the U.S.  He is a co-principal investigator for the CDC Project Firstline as well as a collaborative Public Health Service training program.  He previously served as co-principal investigator of the federally funded National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center, which supports research and preparedness nationally and helped launch the Special Pathogens Research Network. He is a member of the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit leadership team and from 2020-2021served as chair of the Big Ten Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases.