Debra (Kaplan) Low earned a bachelor's degree in journalism and a master's degree in communications from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Debbie and Stuart moved to Arizona in 1979 when Stu joined the Arizona State University (ASU) faculty as an assistant professor in the Department of Economics. For several years, Debbie held a dual position as an adjunct faculty member in the College of Business at ASU in both the Marketing Department and in Health Services Administration where she taught marketing communications and health care marketing classes and conducted research on hospice services in Arizona. She has co-authored scholarly articles in academic journals based on findings from this research, as well as case studies later published in marketing and management textbooks.

Debbie went on to earn master's degrees from ASU in Health Services Administration and in Counseling Psychology. She retired in 2014 as a private practice psychotherapist after specializing in adult and couples therapy, with special interests in bipolar disorders, personality disorders and neuropsychology.

Previously, Debbie was a medical/health care consultant in Arizona for almost 20 years. In that capacity, she provided management and marketing consulting services to hospitals, medical groups, and tertiary care facilities throughout Arizona. She also published articles in Arizona Medicine, and other professional journals related to medical management issues

In Arizona, Debbie served on the boards of directors of East Valley Hospice, Samaritan Hospice, Hospice of the Valley, the Area Agency on Aging, and Save the Family Foundation of Arizona. In 2021, Debbie published a book, "Under the Viaduct: Memories from the Manor and Beyond." In her book, Debbie cited the significant cancer cluster in her former southside Chicago neighborhood located near steel mills and chemical plants. Ironically, Debbie was diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer just as her book was being published. 

In lieu of flowers, please make donations in Debbie's memory to Hospice of the Valley (hov.org/donate/). A private service has been held and a Celebration of Life gathering will be scheduled at a later date.