A native of Compton and La Habra, Calif., she completed her bachelor of arts degree in Spanish literature at Smith College before earning a master of arts degree in social work from Columbia University and a doctorate in sociology at Georgia State University. Her research interests include chronic illness, demographic disparities in psychological coping, and young adult mental health. Her dissertation, “Ill-Timed: The Effects of Early Onset Chronic Illness on Young Adult Psychosocial Development” examines the long term effects of chronic illness onset before age 35 on individuals’ sense of mastery and experience of depressive symptoms. Her primary teaching interests include sociology of health and illness, quantitative research methods, and social welfare policy.