was raised in an Air Force family and had the opportunity to live all over the country and abroad.  My interest in science took off at a young age and I’ve been at it ever since!  I earned a PhD in medicinal chemistry and molecular pharmacology from Purdue University. Subsequently my post-doctoral fellowship at The Scripps Research Institute focused on green chemistry using amino acid derivatives as bio-catalysts. 

After a short stint in the biotech industry I served as a faculty member in two pharmacy programs.  My teaching covered medicinal chemistry and the foundational sciences behind small molecule therapeutics and their clinical outcomes.  Over time my research interests shifted from bench top to bedside with notable community efforts.  In collaboration with clinical faculty, grant funded diabetes education support, oncology supportive care, and electronic nicotine delivery system education programs were established.   My strong ties to community service led to the grant funded creation of a vocational job skills program for underserved youth where the students learned blacksmithing.  Each session at the forge set up like a science lab to build job and academic skill sets.