Dr Oral received her PhD in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University and has been working in the fields of Orthopaedics and Arthroplasty since 2003 when she joined the Harris Orthopaedic Lab at Massachusetts General Hospital. She is presently the Associate Director of that lab and holds the position of Associate Professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Harvard Medical School.

Her research has focused on developing new ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylenes including vitamin E stabilized crosslinked materials. Her work led to novel manufacturing methods and clinical implants, many of which have been patented and licensed to numerous orthopaedic manufacturers.

Her current work focuses on the development of polymeric drug delivery systems with a special interest in preventing and treating infections.

She is a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors and a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. She holds numerous other honors and awards for her research work including two HAP Paul awards from ISTA.