She received her B.S. in Wildlife Biology from University of Montana, Missoula in 1993 and her Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Southern Mississippi in 2004. Her early work focused on threatened and endangered species, including Mexican Spotted Owl and Southwestern Willow Flycatcher before developing a research program focused on the health and disease ecology of migratory birds. Her interdisciplinary research program addresses issues at the interface of wild bird, human, and environmental health and focuses in the areas of ecoimmunology, behavioral ecology, and conservation medicine. Along with collaborators and students, she has published 24 refereed papers. Her research has been funded from multiple agencies, including the National Science Foundation, United States Department of Agriculture, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.