Dr. Bayless completed her graduate training in Medical Physiology at Texas A&M University focusing on extracellular matrix protein and integrin interactions before completing a post-doc in Pathology with George Davis' lab studying the role of Rho GTPases in endothelial morphogenesis at the Texas A&M University Health Science Center. She joined the Cardiovascular Research Institute, Faculty of Genetics, and Interdisciplinary Faculty of Reproductive Biology in 2005.