She received her Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley, and has held postdoctoral and faculty appointments at the University of Illinois, Champaign, and has been the director of the Center for Applied Behavioral and Evaluation Research section at the Academy for Educational Development (AED) based in Washington, D.C. She conducts research to design and evaluate social and behavioral interventions in sexual health, overweight and obesity, tobacco control, and health care seeking. Her research has been funded by NIH, CDC, USAID, Kellogg and other agencies and foundations and has resulted in numerous peer-reviewed articles, invited chapters, and technical assistance documents.