She received her Ph.D. in Economics from Stony Brook University and her M.A. in Economics from Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Her current research assesses the target efficiency of the Medicaid program in its protection against financial losses associated with long term care needs. With an increasingly aging population that is living longer with more chronic conditions, the potential costs are large, making this a valuable body of work. Other research interests include mobile addiction, health disparities, and mental health and substance abuse.