Laurie earned a BSc. in Biology in 1990 from the University of Waterloo and a Masters degree in Exercise Physiology from Ball State University in 1993. In 1997, she earned a Ph.D. in Exercise Physiology from the University of Virginia. She has served on the faculty at UNCG since 2000. Prior to joining the UNCG faculty, she was a full-time research technician at the NIH funded General Clinical Research Center at the University of Virginia.