She grew up in Singapore and completed a degree in Biology and Classics at Boston University in the United States.
After a short stint in private practice, she quit her full-time medical job when she was awarded a full scholarship to the Master of Fine Arts program at Warren Wilson College in Creative Writing (Fiction).
[1] While pursuing her degree, she worked part-time as a physician; a fitness and dance instructor; and personal trainer to support herself.
She graduated in July 2001 and her novel Breaking the Tongue, written during her MFA program, was published in 2004.
She is currently the medical director of Transform Institute for Metabolic & Lifestyle Medicine in Newton, MA.