She received two PhDs from Yale University in 2008—one in psychology and one in epidemiology and public health. She and her lab members now research how environmental experiences, such as trauma, violence, and poverty, influence the way that children develop across a number of domains, including emotional, cognitive, and brain development. One of her current projects focuses on brain development of children and adolescents who experience violence in their homes. Another follows the development of Romanian orphans from infancy through adolescence, researching how their circumstances affect executive functions such as memory and cognitive control.