Her work combines Developmental Psychology and Population Health to identify the origins and consequences of adolescent health risk behavior and develop prevention and intervention programs to reduce its negative consequences. Specific areas of focus include substance use and abuse, mental health, sleep, and risk behavior. Her research has been funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, the National Institute on Child Health and Human Development, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and has appeared in numerous journals, including Journal of Adolescent Health, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Development and Psychopathology, and Developmental Psychology.