She has a BA in Psychology from Harvard, and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from UCLA. She studied cognitive impairments in children with youth-onset psychoses or ADHD for many years. However, in 5/2011, she decided to shift her research focus to the child welfare system. The goals of her research group are to bridge the gap between academic research and actual practices on the ground in child welfare, child maltreatment, domestic violence, and juvenile delinquency. She is especially interested in practices related to screening and referral for mental health and educational services for maltreated children; development, dissemination, and implementation of evidence-based practices in the community; and evaluation of the effects of interventions on the mental health, educational, and other outcomes of the children.