Marissa graduated from the University of Rhode Island with her Doctor of Pharmacy and minor in Leadership Studies. She also completed a 1 year post-graduate residency (PGY-1) at the St. Louis County Department of Health in conjunction with the St. Louis College of Pharmacy. The focus of her training was in primary care practice (in an underserved population) and academia. In early 2015, Marissa transitioned practice sites to UConn Health General Medicine Associates clinic, specifically working in the general medicine resident clinic. In Fall 2017, Marissa was promoted to Associate Clinical Professor. Since 2016, she had an academic appointment in the UConn School of Medicine. In addition to primary care clinical practice, Marissa teaches Pharmacy Communications, Patient Assessment, and Endocrine therapeutics within in the UConn School of Pharmacy curriculum in Storrs. Marissa is originally from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton area of Pennsylvania, and her family still resides there.