The National Council on Family Relations (NCFR) is proud to recognize Daphne C. Hernandez, Ph.D., as the 2023 recipient of the Felix Berardo Scholarship Award for Mentoring. This award acknowledges an NCFR member for excellence in mentoring junior colleagues, graduate students, or undergraduate students, thereby providing opportunities for continued professional development. 

Dr. Hernandez (she/her) is an associate professor and the Lee and Joseph Jamail Distinguished Professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Cizik School of Nursing. Her own research in health disparities, food insecurity, and housing instability bourgeons and inspires the work of her mentees. Dr. Hernandez is recognized for her unparalleled commitment to her students—coaching undergraduate students with their research, training graduate students to mentor undergraduate students, hosting graduate seminars, bringing students into her research, and even giving space in opportunities for early-career faculty. She exemplifies dedication to grooming the next generation of Family Science scholars, recognizing her student’s potential. 

Her work at NCFR has included serving as chair on the Inclusion and Diversity Committee, secretary/treasurer on the Families and Health Section, mentor in NCFR Mentoring Academy, and as a seasoned reviewer for the NCFR Résumé/CV Review Program. She has also been recognized for her achievements by the NCFR Families and Health Section as well as the Men in Families Focus Group. She is the current chair-elect of the Families and Health Section. She is also currently an associate editor for Family and Community Health. 

NCFR is pleased to present this award to Dr. Hernandez for her unwavering devotion to mentorship. 

The Felix Berardo Scholarship Award for Mentoring is given in honor of Dr. Felix Berardo, a well-known and beloved professor from the University of Florida, who went above and beyond expectations in mentoring many students to become outstanding leaders in the family field. 

Dr. Hernandez will be recognized for her achievements during a plenary at the 2023 NCFR Annual Conference. 

The National Council on Family Relations is the premier professional association for the multidisciplinary understanding of families. NCFR has a membership of nearly 3,000 family researchers, practitioners and educators. For more information on the National Council on Family Relations or its scholarly publications, visit the NCFR website at ncfr.org.