She holds a D.D.S. degree from the School of Dental Medicine at the State University of New York at Buffalo, and an M.S. degree in management and health policy from NYU's Robert Wagner School of Public Policy. Dr. Robbins was previously affiliated with the Beth Israel Medical Center in New York, and with the Johns Hopkins Medical Center, the Veterans Administration Medical Center, the University of Maryland Medical Center, and the James Kernan Hospital in Baltimore. Dr. Robbins is an authority on the treatment of medically-complex patients, especially those with head and neck cancer.