She is the chair of the ethics section for the American Academy of Neurology and serves on the ethics faculty at UTSW. She is board certified in neurodevelopmental disabilities as well as in neurology and pediatrics, with special interest in cognitive development in children. She was a pediatrician in Lubbock, Texas, from 1986 to 1992, where rural health care challenges were of particular concern, especially the inequity of health care distribution.