She obtained her PhD in physiology from Kansas State University and completed her postdoctoral training in pharmacology from Yale School of Medicine and stem cell research from University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research program at University of Rochester has an integrated focus on retinal physiology, neurodegenerative diseases, stem cells and pharmacology. The current projects in the laboratory are focused on using patient-derived human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) for 1) studying the pathophysiology of inherited and age-related macular degeneration and 2) creating complex retinal cell model to study intercellular interaction in retinal physiology and disease development. She is also interested in delineating the role of gene-environment interaction in retinal and neurodegenerative diseases.