Portilla is a developmental psychologist with more than 20 years of research experience in early childhood development, with a primary focus on the preschool and kindergarten years. She is currently working on the Measures for Early Success Initiative, which aims to better understand the strengths and skills of all early learners by developing and testing innovative early childhood assessment tools in collaboration with educators, families, and preschoolers.
She also works on the Mother and Infant Home Visiting Program Evaluation (MIHOPE), a large-scale national evaluation of home visiting programs that intend to prevent child maltreatment and improve maternal and child health, parenting skills, and child development outcomes. Currently, she is co-leading the impact evaluation of parenting and child outcomes for the children who participated in MIHOPE at the kindergarten follow-up.
Portilla earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from New York University and a PhD in developmental and psychological sciences from Stanford University.
