Master Sergeant (ret.) Jonathan Lu, U.S. Army, is the Director of the Center for Health Professions. Retired from the military service since 2024, Dr. Lu's 20-year Army career includes service as a combat medic, instructor, and Special Forces operator. His last assignment was as the Chief Medical Operations NCO and Senior Enlisted Medical Advisor for the Army's 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne), where he oversaw an interprofessional directorate of health professionals and technicians deliver exceptional healthcare in support of worldwide combat operations, missions, and training.

Dr. Lu's previous research aligned to the needs of his chosen profession as a soldier and Green Beret. His works include contributions to the Joint Trauma System's prolonged field care clinical practice guides, conceptual models of worsening outcomes among Special Operations Forces soldiers, the administration of intramuscular tranexamic acid in prehospital trauma patients, and collaborations in the field of traumatic brain injury screening, evaluation, and return to duty. He is an active member of the Special Operations Medical Association and advocate for wellness and education issues pertaining to the greater special operations and military-connected communities.

Dr. Lu is a Nationally Registered Paramedic and Special Operations Advanced Tactical Practitioner with extensive experiences in the civilian volunteer fire and emergency medical services. He previously served as the president of the Bald Hills Firefighters Association, 501(c)(3) organization that promotes wellness for an all-volunteer fire protection district. He is passionate about promoting wellness in the workplace and addressing barriers to education access—especially those that constrain entry into the healthcare professions.

Dr. Lu is passionate about non-traditional learning pathways, having completed all of his awarded degrees during his time as an active duty servicemember. He holds a doctorate in behavioral health from Arizona State University, during which he used high-fidelity wearable health devices to investigate the bidirectional relationship between sleep and pain in a Special Forces population. He holds a master of public health and a bachelor of science from George Washington University. A committed lifelong learner, Dr. Lu is currently pursuing a master of business administration from the Raj Soin College of Business and Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE) board certification. He aspires to transform how his hometown of Dayton, OH and higher education at-large prepares and educates its future healthcare professionals and leaders.