After receiving her MSN in Parent-Child Nursing at University of Tennessee, she worked with children, youth and families as a nurse practitioner. In 1996, she received her Ph.D. in behavioral epidemiology at the University of Minnesota. Her research interests include youth health promotion, and prevention of health risk behaviors among adolescents. In 2013, she was awarded Fellowship status in the American Academy of Nursing for her exceptional contribution to the nursing profession through her scholarly activity in the field of adolescent health.