Dr. Faulkner was born and raised in NYC. She attended University of Southern California for college, medical school and general surgery residency, and is board certified by both the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Plastic Surgery. During residency, Dr. Faulkner spent 2 years in Boston, and earned a Masters in Public Health (MPH) degree from Harvard School of Public Health, and was a Harvard Medical School plastic surgery research fellow at Boston Children's Hospital. Dr. Faulkner attended plastic surgery residency at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, TN, followed by fellowship at Mass General Hospital, specializing in reconstructive and aesthetic breast surgery.

Dr. Faulkner is a member of the faculty of Harvard Medical School. She is the Director of Quality and Safety for the Division of Plastic Surgery at MGH. She is Chief of Plastic Surgery at North Shore Medical Center. She is an active member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and the New England Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons, and a candidate member of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. She is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS),  and member of the Association of Women Surgeons and the Association of Academic Surgery, and other national professional organizations. She has authored publications (under her maiden name Rosen and married name Faulkner) on pediatric and adult plastic surgery. She has given research presentations at national and international plastic surgery meetings. Her clinical areas of interest include breast reconstruction, cosmetic breast surgery (breast augmentation, breast lift), breast reduction, body contouring after weight loss/childbirth/aging (including abdominoplasty ("tummy tuck"), liposuction, brachioplasty ("arm lift")), transgender/gender confirmation surgery ("top surgery"), labiaplasty, and the use of Botox and fillers for non-surgical facial rejuvenation. Dr. Faulkner is committed to excellence in patient care and attention to detail.