My name is Dominique Rodríguez, and I am from Albuquerque, New Mexico. My family has deep ties to New Mexico, and my love for our community has given rise to my interests in art, dance, and my studies.

I completed a BA in Spanish and a Minor in Chicana and Chicano Studies at UNM and went on to complete an MA at UNM in Hispanic Linguistics while teaching in the Sabine Ulibarrí Spanish as a Heritage Language Program. I have been an educator in one form or another for most of my life, and I am passionate about supporting students in their educations and excited to support programs dedicated to the Chicana/o/x community.

Since completing my MA, I have worked for several years in clinical research studying the effects of stress, alcohol and drugs during pregnancy on child development and maternal health. As I have learned about medicine and health systems and grown in my personal studies of spiritual healing, my focus has set on traditional healing practices and their impacts in our community.

My research interests include exploring the role of Chicana/o/x spiritual beliefs, cultural norms, and traditional medicine practices in our orientation to health and healing. I am particularly interested in how spiritual healing practices and traditional medicine are evolving in new generations to meet a changing cultural landscape. In additional to spirituality and health, my interests include Chicanx feminism, activism/advocacy and in my free time, I explore art, classic cars, gardening and dance.