Dr. Dagher's research focuses on the risk and protective factors associated with maternal postpartum depression and the impact of this mental disorder on health services use and costs. She also studies the impact of work policies (e.g., policies of maternity leave after childbirth and job flexibility policies), work organization (e.g., job demands, job control, and supervisor and coworker support), and work-family conflict on workers’ mental and physical health outcomes and health care expenditures. To answer these research questions, Dr. Dagher uses quantitative statistical methods from the field of Health Services Research and Policy that pertain to cross-sectional and longitudinal data.

Dr. Dagher's major areas of focus include: Determinants of postpartum depression; Impact of postpartum depression on health services use and costs; Maternity leave policies and women’s postpartum health; Employer policies (e.g., paid leave, flextime, work organization) and workers’ health outcomes and health care expenditures; Gender, ethnic and racial disparities in mental health and mental health services; Women’s access to health services; The health care response to domestic violence.