Myra Kunas

Myra Kunas was appointed assistant commissioner for the Health Protection Bureau in June 2024, by Commissioner Dr. Brooke Cunningham. As assistant commissioner, Kunas oversees the Environmental Health Division; Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Prevention, and Control Division; and the Public Health Lab (PHL).

Professional background

Prior to being appointed assistant commissioner, Kunas served as the interim assistant commissioner of the Health Protection Bureau and was previously the director of the Public Health Laboratory.

Kunas has served multiple roles since joining MDH in 2007. Since 2020, Kunas led PHL through the COVID-19 pandemic and its many challenges. She was the assistant division director from 2015 to 2020, and prior to that role she worked as operations unit supervisor and project coordinator in PHL’s environmental lab. Before joining MDH, Kunas worked in the private sector as both a laboratory analyst and as a laboratory quality assurance manager.

Educational background

Kunas has a Master of Science in earth and ecosystem science from Tulane University. In her undergraduate work at Winona State University, she earned a Bachelor of Science in biology and Bachelor of Arts in mathematics with double minors in polymer chemistry and statistics. She is also a graduate of both the State of Minnesota Emerging Leaders Institute and Senior Leaders Institute as well as the Associate of Public Health Laboratories Emerging Leaders Program.