Dana Cox, Research Associate
Dana has worked in the field of child health and development for over 30 years, as both a Registered Nurse/Public Health Nurse and an Early Childhood Special Educator. She credits her three children, one a young adult with cerebral palsy as her greatest teachers.
Dana’s career path has been diverse and includes experience in pediatrics/ maternal-child health, home-visiting, and supporting the inclusion and belonging of young children with special needs. Dana has been involved in adult education for most of her career including serving as faculty at several institutions, including both the Nursing and Early Childhood Education Departments at Cabrillo College, Santa Clara University, UCSC Extension, and the EPIC (Education Preparation for Inclusive Education) Credentialing Program. She has consulted for a range of programs including UCSF Child Care Health, First-5, and WestEd.
Prior to coming to WestEd, Dana worked as a Program Coordinator /Early Interventionist for the Santa Cruz COE Early Start Program. She has been the author of many articles and continuing education publications related to child health and development. Dana was a founding Board Member of the Special Parent Information Network of Santa Cruz, and is a Board Member of the IDA (Infant Development Association).
Dana received her BS in Nursing from San Francisco State in 1984, and her MA in Early Childhood Special Education from Santa Clara University in 2004. She was a Napa Infant-Parent Mental Health Fellow in 2010, and completed the first Napa Fellowship Program’s Reflective Supervision, Consultation and Facilitation Academy in 2015. She is endorsed in California as an Advanced Trans-disciplinary Mental Health Practitioner (0-5) and Reflective Practice Mentor. She is a certified trainer for many programs including PITC, Positive Discipline, and is completing certification in the Child Trauma Academy’s Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics.