2026 In-Person Recipients
Ulises Charles Rodriguez
University of Calgary, Canada
Ulises Charles-Rodriguez, PhD, is a Postdoctoral Associate in Inclusive Governance at the University of Calgary and a Sessional Instructor of Sociology at the same institution and of Public Health at the University of Lethbridge. His research explores the intersections of nature, health, and the inclusion of historically marginalized communities in research, governance, and programming, with a focus on land-based practices for well-being, consensus-building, and systems change. Dr. Charles-Rodriguez completed his PhD in Population Studies in Health with a concentration in Diversity, Disparities, Inequalities, and Social Determinants of Health. He currently works on multiple projects aiming to improve equity, diversity and inclusion in the child health research ecosystem, and build more inclusive research and education governance at the Unievrsity of Calgary and beyond.
Nidia Hernández
California State University, Northridge, United States
Nidia Hernández, PhD, LCSW, MSW, MPA, is a Xicana scholar-activist of Indigenous descent (Purépecha/Mexica) and proud daughter of immigrants. She is a bilingual Licensed Clinical Social Worker and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Work at California State University, Northridge. Born in Los Ángeles and raised in the San Fernando Valley, her work is deeply rooted in the lived experiences, resistance, and healing practices of the communities she serves. With over 25 years of experience in nonprofit and public-sector settings, including more than 16 years in community-based clinical mental health practice, Dr. Hernández works alongside marginalized communities at the intersections of healing, organizing, and liberation. Her research and community-engaged scholarship center on culturally affirming and linguistically inclusive mental health interventions; Bienestar de Comunidades Indígenas; land-based healing; holistic and decolonial approaches to substance use; transformative justice; community self-determination; decolonizing methodologies; immigration policy; and Indigenous-informed responses to migration and displacement. Her work is guided by commitments to collective care, accountability, and liberation-focused futures.
