Dr. Barry is the developer of the BrainWise Program and founder of the BrainWise nonprofit organization. Her background as a public health, psychiatric, and school nurse exposed her to the lasting effects of poor decision making, and the need to teach thinking skills to the underserved, as well as to the general population. She has conducted marketing research studies for Fortune 500 companies, taught research to nursing students as an adjunct professor, and been the principal investigator or co-investigator, of more than 50 research studies on topics ranging from marketing issues to domestic violence. Since 2007, her research efforts have focused on the behavioral outcomes of BrainWise graduates. She has worked with independent evaluators, government researchers, and university professors whose results have been published and presented at national and global conferences. The findings have consistently found that BrainWise graduates show significant improvement controlling emotions, inhibiting impulses, and coping with problems. BrainWise is taught in schools, youth organizations, church groups, businesses, jails, homeless shelters, mental health services, and health agencies throughout the United States, as well as in Canada, China, India, Taiwan, and other countries. The U.S. Indian Health Services has approved BrainWise as a program that benefits Alaska Natives and American Indians.