Personal Statement
Having obtained a PhD on the psychological experience and mental health of infertile couples undergoing IVF treatments, I worked for several years at the Winnicott Research Unit (University of Reading), directed by Lynne Murray and Peter Cooper. There I contributed to several studies on the effects on infant development of maternal depression and anxiety, and on the nature of early mother-infant interactions, and the way the help shape developmental trajectories.
I currently carry out my research in the field of developmental psychopathology. My research interests focus in particular on infant social development, perinatal and parental mental health and forms of support for the latter. Currently my research also focuses on forms of parent-mediated interventions aimed at promoting optimal child outcomes, such as dialogic book-sharing and its effects on child linguistic and psycho-emotional development. In my endeavours, I am involved in several international research projects, collaborates with various institutes in Europe and the rest of the world.

Research Overview
My main research themes focus on the study of the characteristics of infant social development in the first 2 years of life and which factors may exert influence on it.
This study takes place primarily in the context of investigating early relationships and interactions between children and their caregivers.
The importance of these relationships is also studied in terms of their role in safeguarding mental health and in the possible development of psychopathology, in the child and in the caregiver, in later stages of the child's life as well.
A further line of research focuses on verifying the effectiveness of forms of parenting support, with the aim of promoting infant development and the mental health of children and caregivers.
Finally, great attention is now dedicated to the study and application of shared book-sharing, as a tool of easy applicability but great potential, to support the child linguistic and psycho-emotional development.