She completed her PhD at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Her research interests include (1) health promotion and disease prevention focusing on obesity and cardiovascular disease, (2) lifestyle interventions, (3) impact of physical activity on biomarkers, (4) health and technology, and (5) patient teaching and safety. She is a recipient of the IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence, a National Institutes of Health (NIH) program for her research projects and training. She is a Fellow of the NIH/NINR Summer Genetics Institute Research Program and the John Crawford Neuman Systems Model Research Institute. She has published articles in peer-reviewed journals and presented at national and international professional conferences.