Before arriving at Kent State, she spent nine years as a professor at the University of Iowa, where she pioneered studies examining methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in pigs and pig farmers. She received a B.S. in biology from Yale University and a Ph.D. in microbiology from the University of Toledo College of Medicine. Her research has been funded by the USDA, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and has resulted in more than 40 publications in the past decade. Her work has been profiled in publications including The New York Times, Science, and Nature. She also maintains a popular science blog, "Aetiology," and writes about public health and infectious diseases for Slate.com.