Felicia Schanche Hodge, professor in the UCLA School of Nursing and the Fielding School of Public Health, has been named recipient of the Frank C. Dukepoo Award for her work with Native American communities.

Presented by the National Native Research Network and the Indian Health Service, the award recognizes a Native American researcher who exemplifies the work of Dukepoo in conducting respectful research and in improving the education of Native American students. Dukepoo was a geneticist and the first member of the Hopi tribe to earn a doctorate. He conducted research on the study of birth defects in Southwest Native Americans, albinism (lack of normal pigmentation) among the Hopi and inbreeding among the Hopi of northern Arizona.

Hodge is the founder and director of the UCLA School of Nursing’s Center for American Indian/Indigenous Research and Education, which supports research, evaluation, policy development, education, planning, prevention and community service activities among indigenous populations.

Over the span of her career, Hodge has served as principal investigator for several large National Institutes of Health-funded research projects focused on American Indian health issues including cervical cancer, nutrition, smoking cessation, breast cancer, wellness concepts, diabetes, cancer pain and self-management.