She is the author of two books about Los Angeles, including The Unclaimed: Abandonment and Hope in the City of Angels (with Stefan Timmermans) and Believing in South Central: Everyday Islam in the City of Angels. Her research and teaching focus on urban inequality, community-building, death/dying, religion, gender, mental health, and qualitative methods. Before academia, Pamela worked in television as a producer, host, and archival researcher.