After earning a BS in Biochemistry and MS in Biology (both from the University of New Brunswick), she earned her PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Dalhousie University. She began her work on α-arrestins as a post-doctoral research at Stanford and UC Berkeley, and continues that work as the head of the O'Donnell Lab at Duquesne. Additionally, she received a highly competitive, 5-year Early Career Development Program Grant from the National Science Foundation. The grant, which is for over $1 million, will allow O'Donnell's lab to study cell adaption to stress.