I have long been interested in the genetic causes and factors contributing to neurodevelopment and disability. I obtained my B.S. in Cytogenetics from the School of Allied Health at the University of Connecticut in 1996. I was a Day of Pride Scholar and University Scholar. For my Ph.D., I worked with Bradford A. Navia, M.D., Ph.D. at Tufts University Sackler School on the genetics of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, where I studied the role of Dopaminergic and Norandrenergic Genes in ADHD. I graduated in 2003 and began my post doctoral studies at the Yale Child Study Center with Dr. Flora M. Vaccarino, where I was selected for a competitive NIMH Postdoctoral Training Program (T32) in Childhood Neuropsychiatric Disorders mentored by Dr. James Leckman and Dr. Elena Grigorenko. I also obtained support from fellowships including a NARSAD Young Investigator award, and an NIMH K01 award. My postdoctoral work led to several discoveries including the role of FGFRs in radial glial proliferation and development of the prefrontal cortex; formation of midline glial cells including the translocation of indusium griseum from the glial wedge, and corpus callosum formation; Bergmann Glia morphology and cerebellar development; locomotor hyperactivity in FGFR1 KO mice; and astrocyte support of Parvalbumin positive GABAergic interneurons. In 2012, I became an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. At UL Lafayette, I am continuing my studies on FGF receptors using transgenic models, as well as expanding my work into the neurobiology of self injurious behaviors.