Cecily Betz, PhD, RN

CA-LEND Title

• Nursing Discipline Director
• Research Coordinator

Academic Title 

Professor of Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of Southern California

Other Titles

• Director of Research,  USC UCEDD, Division of General Pediatrics
• Health Care Transition Coordinator, Spina Bifida Clinic, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
• Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Pediatric Nursing: Nursing Care of Children and Families
• Co-Chair, International and Interdisciplinary Health Care Transition Research Consortium
• Chair, Co-Chair, Special Interest Group, Health Care Transition and Self Management, Pediatric Academic Society Conference
• Chair, Health Care Quality and Outcome Guidelines Task Force, Infant, Child, Adolescent and Family Expert Panel, American Academy of Nursing
• Executive Committee Member, Special Interest Groups, Pediatric Academic Society Conference
• Advisory Committee Member, 14th Annual Chronic Illness and Disability Conference, Transition from Pediatric to Adult Based Care, Houston, TX
• Advisory Board Member, Got Transition, Center for Health Care Transition Improvement

Contact Information:

4650 Sunset Blvd. MS #53
Los Angeles, CA 90027

Clinical Expertise

• Health care transition for adolescents and emerging adults with special health care needs
• Adolescents and emerging adults with spina bifida
• Children, adolescents and emerging adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities
• Nursing care issues pertaining to the needs of children, adolescents and emerging adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities
• Nursing care issues related to the care of children, adolescents and emerging adults as it pertains to preventive and long-term management care
• Policy-related issues pertaining to the nursing care of children, adolescents and emerging adults
• Advanced pediatric/child health nursing practice; pediatric nursing education
• Pediatric nursing research
• Development of innovative nursing service models
• Quality improvement
• Professional publishing

Advocacy Focus

• Inclusion of adolescents and emerging adults with special health care needs in health care transition planning
• Advocating the implementation of health care transition planning
• Advocating for the needs of the full inclusion of adolescents and emerging adults and their families in the policymaking and program development pertaining to health care transition planning
• Child and adolescent health
• Nursing care for infants, children, adolescents, and emerging adults
• Promoting the full participation of advanced practice nurses in health care program planning and policymaking

Research Interests

• Adolescents and Emerging Adults with Spina Bifida
• Health Care Transition Planning
• Development and Implementation of Health Care Transition Innovative Models of Care
• Health Care Transition Readiness
• Adolescents with Spina Bifida Understanding of Individualized Education Plan
• Spina Bifida Registry
• Component C- Urologic Management Protocol for Young Children with Spina Bifida
• Bullying and AEA with Spina Bifida
• Psychosocial Factors in Patients with Spina Bifida
• Disclosure and Chronic Illness - Pilot Study

Select Publications

Betz, C.L., Smith, K., & Bui, K. A Survey of California Nursing Programs: Admission and Accommodation Policies for Students with Disabilities. Journal of Nursing Education, 2012; 51:676-684.

Betz, C.L., Nehring, W., Lobo, M., & Bui, K, Voices Not Heard: A Systematic Review of Adolescents’ and Emerging Adults’ Perspectives of Health Care Transition. Nursing Outlook, 2013; 61:311-336.

Betz, C.L. Health care transition planning for adolescents with special health care needs: Where’s nursing? Nursing Outlook, 2013; 61:258-265.

Betz, C.L., Ferris, M.E., Woodward, J.F., Okumura, M.J., Jan, S., & Wood, D.L, authoring group for the Health Care Transition Research Consortium. The Health Care Transition Research Consortium Health Care Transition Model: A Framework for Research and Practice. Journal of Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine, 7, 3-15, 2014.

Betz, C.L., Smith, K.N., Macias, K., & Bui, K. Internet Use by Adolescents with Spina Bifida. Pediatric Nursing, 40, 173-178, 2014.

Professional Memberships

• American Academy of Nursing
• Sigma Theta Tau
• American Nurses Association
• Society of Pediatric Nurses
• Academic Pediatric Association
• International Academy of Nursing Editors

Education and Training

• Bachelor in Nursing, California State University, Los Angeles
• Masters in Nursing, California State University, Los Angeles
• PhD, University of Southern California, School of Education
  • Major in Higher and Post-secondary Education
  • Minor in Educational Psychology