She conducts preclinical research on substance abuse, Parkinson’s disease and HIV. Her current work focuses on identifying brain-gut pathology that is common in methamphetamine abuse and Parkinson’s disease, as those who abuse methamphetamine are more likely to develop Parkinson’s disease later in life. Her Cohn Fellowship aims to determine if stimulant drugs in adolescent rodents, specifically those used to treat ADHD, also produce Parkinson’s disease-like pathology in adults.