Meet the 2026 Jude Byrne Emerging Female Leader Award winners

The International Network on Health, Hepatitis and Substance Use (INHSU) and the International Network of People who Use Drugs (INPUD) have named Yarelix Estrada and Rita Musa as the recipients of the 2026 Jude Byrne Emerging Female Leader Award. The award recognises emerging women leaders advancing the rights and health of people who use drugs and supports recipients through a nine-month mentorship with INPUD and a scholarship to attend the INHSU conference.

Yarelix Estrada is a harm reduction organiser, researcher and drug-checking advocate based between Bogotá, Colombia, and the United States. As Drug Checking Co-Lead at Remedy Alliance for the People, she supports the expansion of community-led drug-checking programmes across the Americas. Her work also spans grassroots organising, public health, psychedelic communities and international drug policy advocacy.

Rita Musa is a Nigerian harm reduction and human rights advocate whose work centres women who use drugs and other marginalised communities. She founded the women-led Autamaimasa Health Foundation and serves as National Secretary of the Drug Harm Reduction Advocacy Network. She has also contributed to national research and to the development of medication-assisted treatment guidance in Nigeria.

The 2026 award received 37 applications from around the world. Applications were assessed by a panel of women working in harm reduction and drug-user health, including women who use drugs and, for the first time, previous award recipients. The initiative highlights the importance of investing in community leadership and ensuring that women and people who use drugs are not merely consulted, but supported to lead harm reduction policy, services and advocacy.