Suman Verma is Head of the Human Development and Family Relations Department, Government Home Science College, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India. Her research and published works are in the areas of behavior settings of street and working children, the daily ecology of adolescent family life, social and psychological factors in school stress, adolescent abuse, time sensitization and life skills education among youth. She is an active member of various professional organizations. She is a two time Fellow at the Center for Advanced Studies in the Behavioral Sciences, Stanford and the convener of a special project sponsored by CASBS on risk and protection pathways among street youth across four developing countries.