Dr. Lanzi has expertise in child maltreatment, adolescent parenting, early care and education, ethical issues in conducting research with vulnerable populations, and research methods in the social and behavioral sciences. Over the past 15 years, Dr. Lanzi has been Principal Investigator or Co-Principal Investigator on major longitudinal research programs on the prevention of child maltreatment and the promotion of the health and well-being of pregnant women, children, and young adults with funding provided by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Foundation, and the Children’s Trust Fund of Alabama. She was recently awarded a five-year Research Career Development Award from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to study child neglect among adolescent mothers.

Dr. Lanzi has published numerous scientific articles, chapters, and reports, and is currently writing a book with Dr. Sharon Ramey and Dr. Craig Ramey on successful children and families from the longitudinal Head Start Transition Demonstration Study (Paul H. Brookes Publishing).