Before joining the faculty she was practicing as a nurse practitioner at an STD clinic in New York. She completed her dissertation in May 2008 at the University of Virginia. Her dissertation was titled "Dissociation, violence and risk reducing behaviors in women" and examined lifetime violence, dissociative experiences and safer sex practices in a sample of women. She worked as a maternal/child nurse and a community health nurse before pursuing her master's in community health nursing. Dr. Sutherland's research focuses on violence against women and the health consequences of the violence.