Dr. Cardwell is originally from West Virginia. She attended Wellesley College in Massachusetts where she graduated summa cum laude. There she was awarded Phi Beta Kappa and was chosen as the outstanding collegiate senior in the Biological Sciences Department. From there she returned to her home state to attend medical school at West Virginia University. While in medical school, she was in the top 5% of her class and was awarded Alpha Omega Alpha (national honor medical society) and also was given an award as the fourth year medical student who most strengthened clinical medicine through empathy and compassion. After medical school, she completed her pediatric residency at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. This is where she met her husband, Dr. Brent Cardwell. She is board certified in pediatrics and is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics.  Her hobbies include reading and cooking.  She and Dr. Brent Cardwell have two little girls.