Presented at the Latin American Studies Association (LASA) International Congress, the Martin Diskin Dissertation Award is the highest distinction for junior scholars whose work combines academic excellence with a strong commitment to engaged and activist scholarship in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Dr La Furcia received the award for her doctoral thesis, supervised by Pedro Mendes Loureiro and R. Sánchez-Rivera. Her research explored how trans women in the Caribbean use beauty practices and cultural spaces as forms of community-building and social participation. Drawing on long-term ethnographic research, the thesis examined the relationship between beauty, identity, and belonging in contexts of social marginalisation.

The LASA/Oxfam America Martin Diskin Dissertation Award was originally established through the support of Oxfam America and continues to be sustained by contributions from LASA members.