She earned a B. S. degree with Molecular Genetics from the University of Rochester and received her M. D. degree form the Johns Hopkins University. She completed her training in general surgery and fellowship in surgical oncology at the University of California, Los Angeles. She then spent several years on the faculty at the University of Southern California before moving east. She spent almost four years at New York University as the Chief of Surgical Oncology and Director of the Multidisciplinary Breast Cancer Program before being recruited here to help develop the Multidisciplinary Breast Program here. She has focused her practice on caring for men and women with breast disease for more than 15 years.