She received her Ph.D from the University of Michigan in Biopsychology, where she studied the abuse liability, analgesic effects, and toxicity of drugs in laboratory animals including opioids and cocaine. In 2009, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Division on Substance Abuse at Columbia University studying human behavioral pharmacology of cannabinoids and opioids. Her current research involves understanding the neurobiological, pharmacological, and behavioral variables that influence both the therapeutic potential and abuse liability of cannabinoids (cannabis, CB1 receptor agonists, and cannabidiol) and opioids.