After 26 years of dedicated service, we are honored to celebrate the retirement of Dr. Julieta Hernandez, a deeply respected leader in pediatric social work whose career has had lasting impact on the Mailman Center for Child Development and the communities it serves.
Dr. Hernandez joined the MCCD Early Steps program in 1999, where she discovered her passion for infant mental health, a field that became central to her professional identity. Throughout her career, she specialized in supporting the recovery of young children experiencing trauma-related behavioral challenges and neurodevelopmental disabilities, always responding thoughtfully to the evolving needs of the child and their families. Dr. Hernandez is a champion for listening to young children and practicing family centered care.
Her leadership style has always been defined by collaboration, responsiveness, and a strong commitment to learning and growth. Julieta often credits the mentors and leaders who supported her development and trusted her to build and expand several UM MCCD clinical and teaching programs, such as the Little Heroes program for children exposed to domestic violence trauma. She supervised and mentored the Psychosocial Pediatric HIV team in pediatric immunology. After earning her PhD, she redesigned the Mailman Center's Pediatric Social Work Training and developed a research study to prevent perinatal depression among pregnant mothers and infants, in collaboration with relevant MCCD community partners.
Over the years, Julieta developed and contributed to numerous impactful initiatives, including collaborations with the UM OB/GYN prenatal clinics for pregnant women who use substances or survive human trafficking trauma. With Project GOLD at Kristi House, she provided IMH consultation sessions for the psychosocial team who work with youth and young adults impacted by human trafficking. She also worked across UM departments, consistently bringing the social work perspective into interdisciplinary clinical, training, and research efforts.
Known as a thoughtful and trusted collaborator, Dr. Hernandez has been deeply committed to clinical and community participatory research, always striving to understand what people need and how best to respond. In recognition of her service, she was honored by the Miller School of Medicine for her 25-year anniversary. She received the Endorsement Answering the Call Award from the Florida Association for Infant Mental Health and a recognition award for her contributions to social work field education from the Barry University School of Social Work.
As she retires, Julieta leaves with confidence and faith in her MCCD colleagues that the work will continue to serve communities most in need. In retirement, she looks forward to spending time with her family, traveling throughout the United States, and eventually writing about her journey from Lima, Peru to New York and Miami. She hopes to continue giving back through teaching and consulting in infant mental health, a field she feels has given her so much.
We thank Julieta Hernandez for her extraordinary dedication, leadership, and lasting contributions. Her legacy will continue to inspire for years to come.
