A sociologist by training, her scholarly interests include the social determinants of health and the impact of policy and structural interventions on health and socioeconomic well-being of vulnerable populations. Her research examines the intersections between the built environment (housing and neighborhoods), poverty and health with a particular emphasis on energy insecurity. Recent studies include qualitative and mixed method projects examining structural interventions in low-income housing such as energy efficiency upgrades, cleaner burning fuel source conversions, capital improvements in public housing and post-Sandy resilience among public housing residents in NYC.