Chris Kratochvil, MD, has been named the new vice chancellor for external relations for UNMC, following Friday’s approval by the University of Nebraska Board of Regents.
Dr. Kratochvil has served as interim vice chancellor for external relations since the retirement of Bob Bartee at the end of 2022. His title change is effective immediately.
After completing a comprehensive review, UNMC Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, MD, said there was unanimous agreement among the review committee in changing his title from interim to permanent.
“Chris has demonstrated time and again his prowess as a visionary leader, communicator and team player,” Dr. Gold said. “He has had multiple leadership roles at UNMC over the years and excelled in every one of them. I have no doubt he will continue to grow UNMC’s stature among our stakeholders, including our state and federal partners and the broader community.”
“I am truly honored for the opportunity to serve UNMC in this way,” Dr. Kratochvil said. “External relations covers a multitude of exciting and dynamic domains, and I am thrilled to be able to continue to work with the exceptional team of professionals who work in this office and across the organization.”
Since joining UNMC in 1999, Dr. Kratochvil has held several leadership positions, including associate vice chancellor for clinical research in 2010 and the first vice president for research for Nebraska Medicine in 2014. He served as executive director for clinical research at the Global Center for Health Security from 2019-2022 after helping establish that organization following the 2014 Ebola outbreak, and currently serves as senior advisor to the center.
A professor of psychiatry, Dr. Kratochvil previously focused his research experience on neuroscience drug development, and now includes collaborations with the National Strategic Research Institute. He chaired the Big Ten Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases and currently serves as a co-principal investigator of the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) Training, Simulation and Quarantine Center initiative. This work allowed him to develop extensive experience in government relations and strategic communications on both the state and federal level well before his transition to the interim vice chancellor for external relations role in 2022.
Dr. Kratochvil’s leadership roles have left him with a depth of experience in alumni and community relations, which he leveraged during his time in the interim vice chancellor of external communications role.