A graduate of Harvard College and the University of Rochester School of Medicine, she completed a residency in psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital. She worked in community and public health settings. She is currently Coordinator of the State Steering Team for 350 Massachusetts, a volunteer organization working on climate change issues in Massachusetts, and is co-chair of the board of Better Future Project, a nonprofit with a mission to develop a grassroots climate change movement in and beyond Massachusetts. She is a member of Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility.