As an undergraduate at the University of Michigan, she became interested in the human body’s ability to quickly adapt to exercise and environmental stress. After completing her Honor’s thesis she was motivated to pursue a career in scientific research. She received her Master’s and Doctoral degrees at the University of Texas at Austin before moving to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN for her postdoctoral fellowship. Her research interests include the regulation of blood flow and blood pressure in humans, and how this changes with aging and exercise. Her recent projects are funded by the National Institute of Health and investigate the regulation of brain blood flow and how this may relate to the changes in cognition with advancing age.