She served as the project director of data collection for the National Incidence Studies of Missing, Abducted, Runaway, and Thrownaway Children. She has extensive experience in large-scale research studies of child welfare issues and has published widely in this area. She served as the project director for the second study of National Incidence and Prevalence of Child Abuse and Neglect and will serve in that capacity for the third National Study of Child Abuse and Neglect.