Her commitment to improve the quality of life of Hispanic/Latino families with developmentally disabled children continued even after she left that job. She became involved with the University of Miami Center on Aging and Developmental Disabilities where she conducted cultural competence training for professionals in the field of developmental disabilities. Her culturally competent program was one of the first in Florida to prepare non Hispanic professionals to understand and respect the Latino culture.

In search for another challenge Gema became involved in the treatment and prevention of alcohol abuse and alcoholism she eventually became the Director of Metro Dade County Women Alcohol Treatment program. The fact that alcoholic women were stigmatized more often than alcohol dependent males caught her attention. She began noticing that the progression of alcoholism among women was totally different than men and decided to investigate this difference further.

Her decision to separate men and women in group therapy was very innovative. Also innovative was her work identifying that the drinking patterns of women were different from men. Discovering that binge drinking was tied to menstrual cycles lead her to design a counseling program that intensifies during the pre-menstrual cycle providing more support at the time women were more biologically predisposed to alcohol consumption. Her unique approach caught the attention of the National Institute of Alcohol and Alcoholism in Washington who awarded her, through Metro-Dade County Alcohol Program, a grant to implement one of the first Women’s Alcohol Treatment Program. Her work took her to several Latin American and Caribbean countries where she began explaining the importance of adapting treatment programs to the cultural values and beliefs of the population. As a result, she spent time lecturing in Costa Rica and Panama and became a co-founder of the Inter-American Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism in Costa Rica.

Her involvement with Latin America led her to her work for Florida International University in the International Affairs Office. It was at this time that Dr. Hernández became a caregiver for her parents, first for her father, and after her father’s death, for her mother. From 1981 to January 6, 2000, at the time of her mother’s death, she performed, with the help of her husband and children, her caregiver duties. Consequently, she became involved in elder care issues — issues that at this time consumed her life. From her own experience as a caregiver she became aware of the employment rules that are detrimental to working caregivers all over the nation.

She joined the Older Women’s League and was elected to their board of directors a position that she held for the next seven years. As a member of the Older Women’s League she was instrumental in fighting for the passage of the Family Caregiver Leave Act that protects working caregivers from losing their jobs and allows them to take time to care for their loved ones. During her time at FIU her caregiving responsibilities became the focus of her attention. The challenges she faced and the insensitivity of the agencies and programs for Hispanic elders and their caregivers overwhelmed her.

With several years of caregiving responsibility under her belt, Dr. HernÁndez decided to get involved in aging. One of her alma maters, Nova Southeastern University, was looking for someone to create an Institute for the Study of Aging. Dr. Hernández saw this as an opportunity not only to teach individuals about the aging process but also to inject cultural competence to the curriculum. During her ten years at NSU she rose from the rank of Assistant Professor to Professor as well as published a variety of articles, chapters in books and lecture extensively. She designed and produced the academic curriculum for NSU School of Education’s Elder Care Master’s Program. A few months prior to her appointment as Secretary, Dr. Hernández was selected by her dean to represent her department in the University Spirit of Excellence March during the inauguration for the university’s latest president, Dr. Ferrarro.