She received her medical degree from the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa, in 2002. She completed her anesthesia residency, pediatric anesthesia fellowship and translational research fellowship at Mayo Clinic, Minnesota. Her research focuses on postsurgical pain and recovery in children after surgery. She is conducting an NIH-funded study examining biopsychosocial risk factors for poorer outcomes after surgery. She is particularly interested in the impact of sleep on recovery from surgery.