Betty Irene Moore Fellowship directors
Meet our leadership team
Heather M. Young, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N.
National Program Director, Betty Irene Moore Fellowship for Nurse Leaders and Innovators
Professor and Dean Emerita, Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing
A nurse leader, educator, scientist and nationally recognized expert in gerontological nursing and rural health care, Heather M. Young’s background includes extensive experience in conducting, directing and translating research to promote healthy aging. At UC Davis Health, she co-leads the Healthy Aging in a Digital World initiative and is associate director for strategic partnerships with the Family Caregiving Institute. As professor and founding dean emerita for the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis, she led the establishment of the School of Nursing, the development of five new graduate programs in Nursing Science and Health Care Leadership, the design and construction of Betty Irene Moore Hall and the formation of a nursing science research program focused on healthy systems and healthy people.H. Rao Unnava, Ph.D.
Co-director for Leadership Development, Betty Irene Moore Fellowship for Nurse Leaders and Innovators
Professor and Dean, UC Davis Graduate School of Management
A nationally recognized researcher and expert focused on issues related to advertising, marketing and brand management, H. Rao Unnava’s background includes extensive experience in conducting, directing and translating marketing research to understand consumer behavior. As dean and professor of the UC Davis Graduate School of Management, he prepares the next generation of inspired, innovative and collaborative leaders who are committed to making a positive impact. He teaches courses on marketing management and strategy, marketing research, consumer behavior, promotional strategy, human memory processes and international marketing. He is one of the founders of Angie’s List, served on company boards, and testified as an expert witness several times. His research and policy expertise include brand loyalty, consumer response to advertising, as well as sales promotions and consumer memory.
Elena O. Siegel, Ph.D.
Associate Director, Betty Irene Moore Fellowship for Nurse Leaders and Innovators
Associate Professor Emeritus, Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing
As an associate professor emeritus and founding faculty member of the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis, Elena Siegel uses her knowledge of nursing, health care systems, business and finance to conduct research focused on the practices and policies surrounding nursing home care. She enjoys mentoring students as they develop the systems and business acumen necessary for nursing leadership in complex health care environments. Previously, she was an assistant professor at the Oregon Health and Science University School of Nursing. She is a former Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Nurse Faculty Scholar and a former Claire M. Fagin Postdoctoral Fellow.
Jana Katz-Bell, M.P.H.
Associate Director of Operations, Betty Irene Moore Fellowship for Nurse Leaders and Innovators
Senior Assistant Dean for Strategic Initiatives, Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing and UC Davis School of Medicine
As the senior assistant dean for strategic initiatives at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing and the UC Davis School of Medicine, Jana Katz-Bell 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, she leads the research initiative for the school, with a focus on strategic planning and resources management. She co-authored the 2007 grant proposal that secured the funding from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation to establish the School of Nursing, and serves as the lead administrator of the founding grant.
Monica Christina Esqueda, Ph.D.
Director of Operations, Betty Irene Moore Fellowship for Nurse Leaders and Innovators
Monica Christina Esqueda is the director of operations for the Betty Irene Moore Fellowship for Nurse Leaders and Innovators program. Her areas of expertise include higher education leadership, curriculum design, program evaluation, faculty development and education policy. Prior to joining the School of Nursing in 2020, Esqueda was an education specialist at the UC Davis Center for Educational Effectiveness and the inaugural equity advisor for the Office of Undergraduate Education. In these roles she worked to advance inclusive teaching, and the integration of diversity, equity and inclusion principles across departments and programs. Previously, Esqueda was an assistant professor of higher education and community college leadership at Old Dominion University. She earned a bachelor’s degree in human development from the University of California, San Diego, a Master of Education in educational leadership and policy studies from the University of Washington, and a doctorate in education policy from the University of Southern California.
Gail Powell-Cope, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N.
Visiting Professor, Betty Irene Moore Fellowship for Nurse Leaders and Innovators
Director Emerita, Center of Innovation on Disability and Rehab Research and Safe Patient Handling and Mobility Center of Excellence, Veterans Administration
Gail Powell-Cope is passionate about mentorship, leadership, assistive mobility and community reintegration for veterans in post-acute rehabilitation. In July 2022, she joined the Betty Irene Moore Fellowship for Nurse Leaders and Innovators as a visiting professor. She retired in 2019 from 21 years in health services research at the James A. Haley Veterans Administration Hospital, where she served as the director of a Veterans Administration Health Services Research and Development Center of Innovation on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, section chief of Rehabilitation Outcomes Research, and chief of Nursing Research. She also served as director of the first nurse-led Patient Safety Center of Inquiry at the James A. Haley Veterans Health Administration Hospital in Tampa, Florida. She received special recognition from the Veterans Health Administration for Leadership in the Nursing Research Advisory Group. Her research and training program expertise includes community reintegration for persons with disabilities, patient falls, safe patient handling and mobility, implementation research and program evaluation.
Stephen J. Cavanagh, Ph.D., M.P.A., R.N., F.A.C.H.E., F.A.A.N.
Professor and Dean, Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing
As dean and professor at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing, Stephen J. Cavanagh leads the School of Nursing and collaborates with the interprofessional Nursing Science and Health-Care Leadership Graduate Group in the operation of five graduate degree programs as well as development of new programs. With a passion for health care workforce development and maximizing the use of advanced practice nurses, his research explores the understanding of innovation within the almost unique regulatory framework in which nursing operates — and the need for it within nursing education due to projected nurse shortages — a growing elderly population and the rise of technology in health care.
