She completed her doctoral training at the University of Notre Dame and a fellowship in Behavioral Medicine at the National Institute on Aging. Currently, she is Professor of Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Director of the Social and Behavioral Sciences Section in the Division of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Director of the UAB Continence Program, and Director of Research for the UAB Genitourinary Disorders Center. She is also Associate Director for Research at the Birmingham/Atlanta Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center (GRECC), Birmingham VA Medical Center. She is an expert in the behavioral treatment of incontinence, having focused on the use of biofeedback for teaching improved bladder control.