Kevin F. Jura, JP (Ret.), DrPH(c) NRP, FRSPH, CEM

Kevin F. Jura is an interdisciplinary public health scholar, educator, and emergency medical services (EMS) leader whose work examines the governance, performance, and equity of EMS, public health emergency preparedness, and disaster response systems. Drawing on more than two decades of applied experience across local, state, federal, and international settings, his scholarship integrates perspectives from public health, public safety, emergency management, and health systems to examine how policy, organizational structures, and operational practices shape preparedness, resilience, and population health outcomes.

Jura is a Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) candidate at Tulane University, concentrating in Leadership, Advocacy, and Equity. His doctoral work focuses on the intersection of public health, public safety—particularly EMS—and emergency and disaster preparedness, with particular attention to governance, systems integration, operational equity, and organizational performance. He is concurrently completing a Master of Professional Studies in Homeland Security at Tulane and previously earned a Master of Professional Studies in Emergency Management, as well as graduate certificates in Advanced Emergency Management and Security Management.

He holds a Master of Liberal Arts in International Relations from Harvard University, where his graduate study focused on international security and nuclear deterrence, and he earned the Public Leadership Credential from the Harvard Kennedy School. He also holds a Master in International Affairs from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (IHEID) in Geneva, Switzerland, with concentrations in Global Health and Global Security. Jura earned his Bachelor of Liberal Arts in Government, cum laude, from Harvard University.

His research agenda encompasses EMS system reform, public health emergency preparedness, medical countermeasures policy, responder health and well-being, health disparities, and the governance of complex emergency and health systems. He is engaged as a principal or co-investigator on applied research initiatives involving academic, governmental, professional, and federal partners, including LSU Health Sciences Center–Shreveport, the Louisiana Department of Health, and the National Association of EMS Physicians® (NAEMSP®). His scholarship emphasizes translating empirical research into policy and practice to inform protocol reform, governance modernization, workforce development, and more equitable and effective system design. He disseminates his work through peer-reviewed publications, scholarly and professional conferences, invited lectures, and research presentations.

As an educator, Jura uses a systems-based and practice-informed approach grounded in inclusive pedagogy, experiential learning, and the application of scholarship to real-world challenges. He serves on the faculty at Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine and as an Adjunct Professor in Disaster and Emergency Management at Columbia College in South Carolina. His teaching interests include public health emergency preparedness, disaster policy and law, EMS systems, health equity, homeland security, and crisis leadership. Across undergraduate and graduate instruction, he emphasizes case-based analysis, interdisciplinary problem-solving, and the integration of empirical evidence with policy, operational, and organizational decision-making.

Jura's academic work is complemented by extensive service in public-sector and professional governance. He serves as Vice Chair of the Louisiana Emergency Medical Services Task Force, contributing to statewide EMS policy, governance, and system modernization. He also holds elected and appointed leadership positions within NAEMSP and other professional organizations, where his work supports research-informed policy development, professional standards, education, and the advancement of EMS as an integral component of the broader public health and health care systems.

Jura is a Certified Emergency Manager® (CEM®), an elected Fellow of the Royal Society for Public Health (FRSPH), and an elected Lifetime Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA). He also contributes to the scholarly community through editorial and peer-review service for medical and public health journals. Across his research, teaching, and public service, his work reflects a commitment to interdisciplinary inquiry, evidence-informed policy, equity-centered systems improvement, and the translation of extensive professional experience into scholarship and practice.