Dr. Morales was born and raised in New York. She attended public schools and then Harvard University where she received her A.B. degree in Biology. She obtained her medical degree from the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and did her residency training in Internal Medicine at the Presbyterian Hospital of the City of New York. She joined the faculty of the Division of General Medicine at the Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in 1989, and served as an Assistant Division Director for Education and Training, coordinated primary care educational efforts, and co-directed a student course focused on psychosocial issues in medicine. She joined the NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell faculty in 1998 and is now Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine and the Associate Chair for Educational Affairs in the Department of Medicine. She is the Associate Director of the Housestaff Training Program.. She served as a member of the governing Council of the Society of General Internal Medicine from 2000-2003, was a member of the Commonwealth Fund's "Bettering the Health of Minority Americans" Advisory Board. She is a member of the Advisory Committee of the Columbia University Institute on Medicine as a Profession Physician Advocacy Fellowship, as well as a member of the Boards of Directors of Public Health Solutions, the United Hospital Fund, and of the Women's Housing and Economic Development Corporation. She is the recipient of numerous honors, including the J. James Smith Memorial Award presented annually by the NewYork-Weill Cornell housestaff to a member of the attending staff who exemplifies the qualities of Teacher, Scholar, and Physician; and of the National Medical Fellowships Community Service Award, presented for extraordinary commitment in the area of public health.