Barbara qualified from the University of Bern, Switzerland, in 1984 and after working in a large animal practice and the equine clinic of the University in Bern, went on to perform a residency in radiology at the University of Pennsylvania and Colorado State University. She became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Radiology in 1992. Back in Switzerland she worked at the University of Zurich and the Paul Scherrer Institute, where she was involved in building up radiation oncology, both as a clinical subspecialty and as a research opportunity. In 1994 she became board certified in Radiation Oncology of the American College of Radiology.

Over the years at the University of Zürich, she went through all career steps from lecturer to full professor. She finally left University to become founder and owner of the animal oncology and imaging center (AOI Center). For more than 10 years she headed this specialty center, before taking the opportunity to work at SASH (Small animal specialist center) in Sydney. Since 2020 she is back in Switzerland and works as radiologist and consultant. Barbara has published numerous articles, presented at various international conferences, and helped to train many residents in radiology and radiation oncology.