My research focuses on the psychological, social, and cultural influences on health-risk and health-protective behaviors, including the role of acculturation, discrimination, and cultural values on adolescent substance use, with the ultimate goal of developing improved prevention programs to reduce health disparities. My colleagues and I have conducted several longitudinal studies of family acculturation patterns and substance use among Hispanic adolescents in Los Angeles and Miami. My research also has examined cultural influences on ceremonial and commercial tobacco use among American Indian adolescents, smoking prevention among Chinese adolescents, and cultural influences on menthol smoking among African American adults.