Born in Springfield, Missouri, and spent her high school years in Sitka, Alaska. She got her diploma in May, 1981, from Burge School of Nursing in Springfield, Missouri, and her BSN from the University of Missouri, St. Louis, in December, 1985, and her MSN from UMSL in December, 1995. Janice has had her primary care family NP (FNP) accreditation through the American Nurses Credentialing Center, since February, 1996. She is a member of the American Nurses Association, the Missouri Nurses Association, and Sigma Theta Tau National Honor Society.