She carried out her undergraduate studies at Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa, received her Ph.D. degree from Yale University in 1999, and conducted her postdoctoral research at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. Dr. Pettigrew’s research is driven by a desire to understand how genetic differences between bacterial strains influence virulence potential and differences in disease phenotypes. Also important is her belief that this knowledge can be used to benefit human health. Her interests cross disciplines and encompass the fields of microbiology, molecular biology, and epidemiology.