Dr. Hernandez earned her doctorate in Kinesiology with an emphasis in biomechanics from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in May 2022. She obtained a Bachelor of Science in Athletic Training from the University of Texas–Arlington in 2016. In 2018, she graduated from Kansas State University with her master’s in public health. Dr. Hernandez worked as a graduate assistant athletic trainer for the cross country and track and field men’s and women’s team during her time at Kansas State. During her time at UW-Madison she was a research assistant in the Wisconsin Injury in Sport Laboratory, teaching assistant for various courses, and a University Health Services/UW RecWell athletic trainer for their walk-in clinic. 

Dr. Hernandez is the director of the Healthy Activity toward Promoting Injury Reduction (HAPIR) lab. Dr. Hernandez's research focuses on mixed-methods studies that examine how low socioeconomic status and/or minority race/ethnicity youth athlete families are impacted by the negative consequences of sport specialization. Additionally, she is interested in how athletic trainers’ clinical decisions may be impacted by a youth athletes’ socioeconomic status.