She received her Masters in International Business Studies from the University of South Carolina in 1984 and her PhD in International Business and Finance from New York University in 1998. Her research interests include bank mergers, international finance, and the economics of health care. She received research grants from the Zicklin School of Business, TransCoop Program of the Alexander Humboldt Foundation, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation's Center for Financial Research, where she is a Fellow. She received the Eugene M. Lang Fellowship for Junior Faculty as well as doctoral fellowships at New York University. Since 2007, she has served on the Research Committee of Sensible Action for Ending Mercury-induced Neurological Disorders.