Her research focuses on how journalists cover mass shootings and other stories involving trauma, from the perspective of victims' families, survivors, and community members who have been impacted by the tragedy, and from the perspective of journalists who report on the stories. This was the subject of her dissertation: Embodying an Ethic of Empathy: Journalism’s Intersection with Victims’ Families, Survivors, and Community Members After the Mass Shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

Her interest in the subject comes from her personal experience as a photojournalist covering stories involving five mass shootings, including Uvalde. As a staff photographer at the San Antonio Express-News, she spent close to two years documenting the lives of survivors of the mass shooting at First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs and the congregation. This opened her eyes to the impact journalists have on those experiencing the tragedy, especially during the immediate aftermath. That experience led her to begin studying the intersection of journalism and trauma as a Nieman Fellow at Harvard from 2019-2020. She was also an Ochberg Fellow with the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma in 2017.