Dr. Graves is a graduate of Baylor University where she received honors. Dr. Graves received her medical degree from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and was a recipient of the Purdue Fredrick Award for Excellence in Women’s Healthcare. She completed her internship and residency at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She completed her Maternal-Fetal Fellowship at Vanderbilt University. During her fellowship, Dr. Graves received special training in Obstetrical Critical Care and became the director of one of the first Critical Care Obstetrical Units in the nation. She was previously a former division director of Maternal Fetal Medicine at Vanderbilt University as well as Assistant Dean for Diversity. She is currently the Medical Director and managing partner of Tennessee Maternal Fetal Medicine and the Medical Director for Perinatal Services at St Thomas Health Systems. She is a Professor at the University of Tennessee and serves as clinical and adjunct professor for Vanderbilt University and Meharry Medical College, respectively.
In 2006, Dr. Graves left Vanderbilt University and established with three other partners, Tennessee Maternal Fetal Medicine where she is currently the managing partner. Tennessee Maternal Fetal Medicine is largest private practice MFM (Maternal Fetal Medicine) group in the Middle Tennessee areas with 5 locations (Nashville, Murfreesboro, Franklin, Mount Juliet, and Clarksville).
Considered an international expert in the management of maternal disease, Dr. Graves is extensively published and has received numerous teaching, research, professional and community awards. She has been actively involved in research and has served as an investigator on studies involving asthma, cardiovascular disease, preeclampsia, HIV, diabetes, and drug addiction during pregnancy. She is an immediate past member of the Board of Directors of the Society of Maternal Fetal Medicine. She serves as a physician advisor to the Preeclampsia Foundation and as a peer reviewer for SMFM, the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, AJOG-MFM and AJOG Global Reports. She serves on the NIH review committee for safety in perinatal research. She currently holds grants from the American Heart Association, the Moore Foundation and the NIH.
Dr. Graves has been instrumental in the formation of a Maternal Mortality Review Committee for the State of Tennessee and currently serves as a member of the review committee and a member of the CDC committee on Bias in Maternal Mortality. She also serves as the Medical Director for the Maternal Section of TIPQC.
In 2014, Dr. Graves along with Dr. Stacy Davis, a cardiologist started the Collaborative Perinatal Cardiac Center, a joint venture between Tennessee Maternal Fetal Medicine and St. Thomas Health, which is one of the first in the nation to address maternal heart care from the preconception period through postpartum care with a focus of long-term prevention.
On a personal note, Dr Graves serves as a keyboardist and choir director for her church and works with the youth ministry and is the proud mother of one son, who is a therapist in the Nashville area.