Lee University’s Dr. Jacob Fast, director of Disaster and Healthcare Mission Management and assistant professor of emergency management, recently earned his Doctor of Science in emergency management from Jacksonville State University.

Fast’s dissertation, “Gamification and Serious Games in Undergraduate Nursing Education for Disaster Preparedness in the United States,” investigated how game-based learning is currently used, and could be expanded, to strengthen disaster preparedness among undergraduate nursing students.

“I pursued this degree to become a better educator and a more knowledgeable practitioner with the ultimate goal of helping prepare students to serve with both competence and compassion when individuals and communities face their most difficult moments,” said Fast.

Fast joined Lee staff in 2015 and began teaching part time in 2018 before serving as a full-time assistant professor and program director in 2023. His teaching focuses on emergency management, disaster response, humanitarian logistics, and interdisciplinary disaster preparedness. Fast has helped facilitate large-scale simulations and applied learning experiences designed to prepare students for real-world crisis environments.

He also participates in disaster relief efforts and supports initiatives related to humanitarian response and emergency preparedness education.

Fast will present “Crisis Ready: Using Game-Based Learning to Strengthen Disaster Education,” based on his dissertation research, at the National League for Nursing Summit in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 23.

Fast earned his Master of Business Administration from Lee University, Master of Education from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and Bachelor of Science from Geneva College.