She is a historian of science and policy who specializes in the history of drug addiction research, treatment, and policy in the 20th century United States. Her most recent books were Discovering Addiction: The Science and Politics of Substance Abuse Research (2007) and, with co-authors JP Olsen and Luke Walden, The Narcotic Farm: The Rise and Fall of America’s First Prison for Drug Addicts (2008). She was elected Recording Secretary of the Rensselaer Faculty Senate in April 2007.