She received her Ph.D. in economics from U.C. Berkeley. Her fields of interest are Economic History, Health Economics and Economic Demography. One section of her research explores the ways in which individuals of low socioeconomic status used income to improve health status and attain higher education and earnings levels during the 19th and 20th century. Another section investigates the relationship between caloric needs and rising household expenditure levels in India today to resolve calorie consumption puzzles.