Dr. McBrien’s service and much of her research focuses on resettled refugee students and their families in the United States. She has explored the connection between discrimination and academic motivation in adolescent refugee girls and evaluated refugee agency programs working to create bridges between new refugees to the U.S., social services, and schools. Currently she is working on projects with refugee youth and agencies in Florida. She has also begun international work with refugees, working on grant projects and research with refugees in Ghana, a school for repatriating students in Liberia, and teachers of former child soldiers in Uganda.