She completed her undergraduate work at Duke University where she received her B.A. in psychology. After finishing her PhD in clinical psychology, she also trained in behavioural medicine at the University of Chicago and did bio-behavioral breast cancer research at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York. Before joining UBC, she was on faculty of the Department of Medical Education at the University of Michigan Medical School. She holds many prestigious national research grants. Dr Tang researches innovative psychosocial supports for those with chronic diseases.