She received her BSN from Duquesne University in 1979 and joined the Pharmacodynamic Research Center in the School of Pharmacy as a research nurse in 1988. Intrigued by the research and not satisfied to remain outside of the laboratory she began taking courses to increase her knowledge of pharmacokinetics, statistics, and experimental design. Eventually she entered the graduate program in Pharmaceutical Sciences and graduated with a PhD in 2003, joining the faculty shortly thereafter.