She received her PhD in Human Development and Child Study from Tufts University, and completed postdoctoral training in the Prevention Research Center at Arizona State University. As a developmental scientist, she has investigated social stressors and protective factors among African American and Latinx youth and families, and she provides recommendations for culturally informed youth practice, prevention, and policy. Her research on the links between racial stress, health and development in African American justice-involved youth has been funded by NICHD and NIH’s Office of Research on Women’s Health. Dr. Loyd’s research on youth of color in the Unites States and youth in South Africa has been published in Child Development Perspectives, Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, Journal of Adolescent Research, and the Journal of Youth and Adolescence.