She was born in California but grew up in New York where she completed an undergraduate degree at Cornell University and a medical degree (summa cum laude, AOA) at the University at Buffalo. She completed pediatrics residency in Denver, Colorado, clinical fellowship (Critical Care) at Boston Children’s Hospital, and research fellowships at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. While on the faculty at Harvard Medical School, she identified novel gene function and mechanisms relevant to the serious birth defect, Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia.