Walker received the award for her exceptional contributions to research on schizophrenia, particularly her work in identifying early signs of vulnerability to schizophrenia. Walker's studies link behavioral dysfunction in children with later schizophrenic disorders in young adulthood. In her research, she utilized childhood home-movies to identify precursors to schizophrenia. Walker has used these findings as a basis for proposing hypothetical models of the neurodevelopmental processes underlying schizophrenia.