I was born in Henderson, Texas, and attended college at the University of Virginia majoring in Psychology and Biology. Throughout my post-secondary education, I was involved in several summer undergraduate research internships at Carnegie Mellon, the Univ. of Illinois and Johns Hopkins. While obtaining my doctoral degree at American University, I found a balance between behavioral and biological investigations that best fit my interests. My research in Dr. Anthony Riley’s Psychopharmacology Laboratory focused on understanding alcohol’s effects on cocaine-induced affective responses, along with neuropharmacological mediation of cocaine’s aversive effects and their impact on its abuse liability. Working under Dr. George Uhl and Scott Hall at the Molecular Neurobiology Division at NIDA, I also researched the genetic contribution to cocaine’s aversive effects. My graduate training provided me the opportunity to learn from two well-respected substance abuse investigators. Under the tutelage of Dr. Riley, I learned the importance of information gained by integrating behavioral assays into pharmacological research. Through my time with Drs. Uhl/Hall, I developed an appreciation for the influence that genetic factors have on behavioral responses to drugs.

In my postdoctoral training, I sought to expand my training in drug abuse research by gaining experience in clinical research. Working with Dr. Sandra Comer at the Division on Substance Use Disorders at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, I was involved in several human behavioral pharmacological investigations. I also had the opportunity to perform clinical rotations with the Substance Use Treatment and Research Service (STARS). In 2011, I became an assistant professor and received a K01 award to continue my career development at Columbia/New York State Psychiatric Institute.

As a result of my laboratory research among people who use drugs, I developed an interest in community-based drug use harm reduction. As an associate professor, my current laboratory research focuses on pharmacogenetics, while my work outside of the lab focuses on overdose harm reduction.