Jana Katz-Bell, M.P.H.

Jana Katz-Bell is the senior assistant dean for strategic initiatives at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing and the UC Davis School of Medicine.

She oversees programs that bridge the two schools and also seeks new opportunities for interprofessional programs and collaboration at UC Davis Health. In her role at the School of Nursing, Katz-Bell leads several initiatives at the school, with a focus on strategic development and management. Her portfolio includes several initiatives to improve care for people 65 and older, the largest growing segment of the population.

 Katz-Bell co-authored the 2007 grant proposal that secured the $100 million funding — the nation’s largest grant in support of nursing education — from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation to establish the School of Nursing. She continues to serve as the lead administrator of several projects in partnership with the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, including the Betty Irene Moore Fellowship Program for Nurse Leaders and Innovators.

 Now, she leads two critical initiatives at UC Davis Health that focus on healthy aging. The UC Davis Health Aging Initiative seeks to provide age-friendly care and services that increase access to health care, improve quality of life and decrease the complexities of navigating the health care system. Through this project, UC Davis Health leverages its expertise in clinical care for patients, cutting-edge research and interdisciplinary education. Additionally, Katz-Bell provides administrative leadership to the Healthy Aging in a Digital World Initiative, which seeks to use technology to provide a bridge between independent living and access to health care across the lifespan. A diverse team from throughout UC Davis Health lead this initiative.

For 25 years, Jana has provided leadership for the design, implementation and expansion of the telehealth program at UC Davis and in California.  She was program director for statewide initiatives to advance telehealth, including a $14 million program that allocated equipment and resources to 15 communities throughout California.  A nationally recognized speaker in the area of telehealth program design, she is actively engaged in policy education at the state and federal levels.  During the course of her UC Davis Health career, Katz-Bell managed the Sacramento County Contract, a $25 million annual contract to provide services to medically indigent adults, managed the Heart Center and worked on a number of other strategic initiatives.

Katz-Bell earned a bachelor’s degree in Genetics from UC Davis and a master’s degree in Public Health from UC Berkeley.

Contact Information: Phone: 916-734-1361 | E-mail: jdkatzbell@ucdavis.edu