She obtained her Master's degree in Biostatistics and a PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Pittsburgh. She also did a post-doc in Psychiatric Epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh focused specifically on women's mental health and functioning during the childbearing years. She developed the Barkin Index of Maternal Functioning (BIMF), a 20-item self-report instrument aimed at postpartum functional assessment. The BIMF has been used in NIH trials and in community-based and hospital