She is known for her work investigating host-pathogen interactions using amphibians as model organisms.
Rollins-Smith received her Bachelor's degree in Biology at Hamline University, Saint Paul, Minnesota, before completing a Masters and a Ph.D. in zoology at the University of Minnesota in 1977.
[5] Rollins-Smith has also studied the effects of immunotoxic and agricultural chemicals on amphibian immunity.
[9][10] Rollins-Smith has also become known for her work on amphibian skin antimicrobial peptides (AMPs).
Alongside her colleagues, she has provided evidence that the effectiveness of AMPs is a valuable predictor of amphibian species susceptibility to the Bd,[11] and that AMPs are potent inhibitors of viral infection, including HIV infection of human T lymphocytes.