Before joining Tufts, she was on the faculty at the College of William and Mary. She has published widely examining questions relevant to social policy. In her work, she has examined the Medicare program, workplace injuries and compensation for injured workers, and wage gaps by race and ethnicity. She is a recipient of research grants from the Russell Sage Foundation, the United States Department of Labor, the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Labor Research, and the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College.