My research mission is to contribute to the understanding, prevention, and treatment of child and adolescent mental health problems, particularly as they relate to youth and families of color. This includes remaining at the forefront of research in prevention and comprehensive treatments for youth in order to facilitate awareness of the importance of examining and understanding the role of culture and related concepts, such as ethnicity and race.  These factors contribute to the complexities of developmental and psychological processes, and are of vital importance to the understanding of culturally diverse populations.  My work integrates existing knowledge on culture, ethnicity, and race with intervention efforts aimed at treating and preventing child mental health problems. As these evidenced‐based interventions are applied to children within communities of color, the understanding of culture and how specific culture‐related factors influence implementation and acceptance become paramount.   With this mission in the forefront, my primary research focus centers around the influence of racial, ethnic, and cultural factors on child and family mental health and well‐being.  This research focus consists of two modes of inquiry: applied and theoretical.

The applied portion of my research focuses on the development and testing of culturally‐relevant and contextually‐focused preventive interventions that target youth and families of color and the multiple environments in which they operate.  These interventions are parent and family directed for the prevention of conduct disorder, aggression and later violence via management of common youth behavior problems. The theoretical portion of my research focuses on the study of race‐related developmental and familial processes (e.g., color consciousness, racial socialization) and their influence on the psychological well‐being and functioning of youth and families of color.