Felicitas dela Cruz, DNSc

Professor Emerita, School of Nursing

Photo of Felicitas dela Cruz, DNSc

Biography

Currently, Felicitas A. dela Cruz serves as Executive Director of the Office of Evaluation and Assessment as well as Director of the Center for the Study of Health Disparities. Dr. dela Cruz has published scholarly articles in research and nursing education journals, in addition to chapters in nursing books. Her program of research focuses on high blood pressure (HBP) among Filipino Americans (FAs) —an ethnic group that ranks third in HBP prevalence, next to African Americans and Native American Indians. Supported by the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR), she published the results of her qualitative study on the HBP beliefs, perceptions, and experiences of FAs. She mentors undergraduate and graduate students in research and presents with them at nursing conferences.
Since 1983, Dr. dela Cruz has successfully obtained numerous federal (HRSA) and state (CA OSHPD) training grants to launch and maintain several nursing educational programs at APU. In 2004, with federal funding, she developed, implemented, and evaluated the Second Careers in Nursing (SCAN), a pioneering accelerated program in the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area that targeted non-nursing college graduates to enter Nursing as a second career. Dr. dela Cruz and her SCAN program team incorporated an innovative 300-hour internship that not only adequately prepared the new graduates for clinical nursing practice but also enhanced their job opportunities at a time when nursing jobs were limited. In addition, Dr. dela Cruz obtained funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and Kaiser Permanente in Southern California for the financial support of SCAN students. The SCAN program now is known as the Entry Level Master’s (ELM) program.

Education

  • DNSc, University of San Diego, 1991
  • MA, Nursing-University of the Philippines, 1974
  • BSN, University of the Philippines, 1964

Credentials/Certifications

  • Adult Nurse Practitioner Certificate, California State University of Los Angeles, 1980

Academic Areas

  • School of Behavioral and Applied Sciences
    • Department of Physical Therapy
  • School of Nursing

Expertise

  • Grantsmanship
  • Nursing Research
  • Program Development and Implementation
  • Program Evaluation
  • Teaching and Supervision

Courses Taught

  • GNRS 508A – Research and Theory in Advanced Practice Nursing
  • GNRS 513 – Advanced Nursing Practice Role
  • GNRS 712 – Advanced Evaluation Research
  • GNRS 716 – Translational Research
  • RMS 709 – Grant and Scientific Writing.