Dr. Reyes is a social scientist and human development researcher with expertise in program evaluation and implementation science. She joined USU's Department of Pediatrics in 2025 as a Henry M. Jackson Foundation Scientist and Assistant Professor in the Division of Military Child and Family Research. Her current work explores how military life impacts children's development, with the goal of buliding the evidence for interventions that support child and family mental health and well-being. As co-investigator on a congressionally funded initiative aimed at improving mental health access for military-connected children and adolescents with behavioral health needs, Dr. Reyes supports multiple quantitative and qualitative studies to understand barriers and facilitators to high-quality care.  

Prior to joining USU, Dr. Reyes worked as a Research Associate and Lead Quantitative Analyst at a private research firm, where she served as co-PI for a prospective statewide cluster randomized control trial of a new kinship and adoption navigation program funded by the state of Ohio. She was also co-PI for a retrospective quasi-experimental study of a safety management intervention to prevent foster care placement for children at imminent risk of maltreatment in Nevada. Currently, Dr. Reyes also serves as an assessment and evaluation analyst at Johns Hopkins University, where she leads randomized control trials and quasi-experimental studies of educational interventions. Grounded in the principles of community-based participatory research, Dr. Reyes leverages quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods within collaborative community partnerships to deliver context-informed, culturally relevant and actionable insights.