She received her BSN and BHS degrees from Florida Atlantic University. Her graduate education includes an MSN from Florida Atlantic University, an MEd from the University of North Florida (UNF), and an MS in marriage and family therapy from St. Thomas University. She received her EdD in Educational Leadership from UNF. Her dissertation, Frameworks for Patient Safety in the Nursing Curriculum, was a mixed methods design that resulted in a validated survey that measures patient safety awareness among nursing students. Her three primary areas of research interest include patient safety, quality and health outcomes.