 She began her career at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in 1961 as a researcher who did pioneering work on chemical carcinogens.She contributed more than one hundred peer-reviewed articles on occupational and environmental respiratory hazards; chemical carcinogenesis and related topics; and occupational and environmental health policy.She served as a scientific and policy advisor for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health from 1972 to 1976, in the Department of Labor as an advisor on coke oven emissions and carcinogens (1973–75), in the National Academy of Sciences' Lead in Paint Commission (1974–75), in the Food and Drug Administration, and in the Environmental Protection Agency (1976–77).