My educational and professional experiences have focused on understanding data management, public perceptions, and the role of medicine in society. My undergraduate degree is in Anthropology from Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri with an emphasis on archaeology and a minor in psychology. While studying at Lindenwood I worked in the campus archaeology laboratory, completing preliminary analysis and curation on artifacts from a variety of historic archaeological sites in the St. Louis area, including early French colonial settlements.

In 2014 I was the recipient of the Jesse Wrench Memorial Grant from the Missouri Archaeological Society, allowing me the opportunity to conduct preliminary research and archaeology survey on a farmstead in southwest Missouri. From 2015-2016 I acted as the site manager for the on-campus student-run archaeological excavation. I also interned for the St. Louis branch of the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), where I created and maintained digital records libraries and document metadata as part of an ongoing project to digitize materials from research divisions across the St. Louis branch. I also received training to work with archaeological collections being rehoused while working at USACE.

Upon arriving at Illinois I have focused my efforts on collections and data management in addition to my dissertation research on the history of medicine in Springfield, Illinois. In addition to my own research I have pursued opportunities to expand my teaching and pedagogical training, including earning two teaching certifications from the Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning. I also have collaborated with others to build a more inclusive anthropology through proactive inclusion of persons with disabilities, avocational archaeologists, and students from other disciplines.

I earned my doctorate in Anthropology in 2022.