She received her BSN and MSN from Texas Woman’s University with a specialty in Community Health Nursing. Her Ph.D. was completed at Texas A&M University and she was a Jesse H. Noyes Fellow at Baylor College of Medicine. She prepared as a Gerontological Nurse Practitioner at University of Texas Medical Branch. In her free time she enjoys her family, children, and grandchildren. She is an avid motorcyclist and participates in Harleys Angels which has contributed over $800,000 for Breast Cancer Research in the last decade.