For leading the incorporation of social demography, developmental psychology, and public health into developmental research on the effects of social inequalities and immigration on children;

For introducing developmental perspectives into the psychological and sociological processes underlying children’s social emotional, educational, and physical wellbeing;

For integrating social stratification, social structural processes, and human development within a life-course theoretical perspective to explain the developmental experiences of children.

For her work demonstrating, both conceptually and empirically, biological and sociocultural influences on child development;

For contributions in the advancement of cross-cultural, cultural, and indigenous psychology;

For tireless efforts advocating for the inclusion and advancement of culture and development in professional societies, including organizing international conferences to examine the cultural nature of attachment and human development.

For dedicating her career to helping policy makers and program developers make evidence-based decisions about how early caregiving, in particular non-parents, affect child development;

For leading the charge in demonstrating the impact of public policy and practice in early childcare and education in the design of afterschool programs and care;

For leading the capacity-building in the scientific research informing major policy decisions in subsidizing high-quality early childcare in the United States.

For using diverse methodologies to understand how contextual factors are associated with mother-child relationships, psychophysiology, and violence exposure in child development;

For employing strengths-based and person-centered approaches in studying sensitive parenting and physiological self-regulation in mother-child dyads among vulnerable populations;

For advancing methodologically rigorous research that improves the lives of young children and parents who have been exposed to trauma.

For advancing research on the pathways to resilience in children who grow up exposed to poverty-related stress;

For synthesizing evidence from human and non-human animal studies to generate a neurobiological model of how social support from close relationships might operate to dampen physiological stress responses in children and adolescents;

For integrating a social policy perspective with her research by translating research to policy settings, presenting to diverse audiences, and mentoring underrepresented scholars.

For advancing knowledge on the developing social brain and emotional reactivity by highlighting how the dorsal and lateral prefrontal cortices play critical roles in regulating negative affect;

For translating the results of her emotional reactivity and regulation research to real life challenges such as reducing the rates of childhood obesity in the US;

For advancing methodologically rigorous lifespan research that improves the understanding of the developing brain in both laboratory and applied settings.

For her mixed-methods dissertation investigating Latino emancipated migrant farmworker youths’ experiences and psychosocial adjustment.

For her multi-study dissertation assessing the impacts of early educational media use on children’s emergent and long-term literacy outcomes.