She was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She attended Duqesne University and received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1981. She graduated from the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill in 1986 with a Masters degree in Nursing Science and Management. After 8 years at home raising her children she went back to the University of Tampa to complete the Nurse Practitioner program. Mary Lee is certified in Family Practice by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. She has been invited speaker at scientific meetings. She and Dr. Borislow have been married since 1985 and have 3 children.