Debra received a PhD in Neuroscience from Emory University and a BS in Psychology from Duke University. She undertook a postdoctoral fellowship at the Center for Addiction Research at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. She subsequently served as a Policy Consultant for the California State Senate Office of Research and then as Chief Consultant for the California State Assembly Committee on Human Services. Debra now serves as Assistant Secretary with the California Health and Human Services Agency (CalHHS) in the Office of Program and Fiscal Affairs.
