Dr. Barabino has an extensive record of mentoring and developing programs for the professional development of faculty and students.She is the founder and Executive Director of the National Institute for Faculty Equity (NIFE). Primary activities under the Institute are NSF sponsored Minority Faculty Development Workshops and the NSF ADVANCE Cross-Disciplinary Initiative for Minority Women Faculty.

Dr. Barabino currently serves as the President of the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) and provides leadership for the career and professional development of biomedical engineers. She established the Initiative for Capacity Building in Biomedical Engineering that seeks to foster innovation in biomedical engineering through talent development and to broaden the talent pool. It is targeted toward graduate students, postdocs, early career faculty and professionals, individuals at critical transition or reentry points in their careers, and underrepresented populations in biomedical engineering to include racial and ethnic minorities and persons with disabilities. This Initiative also assists institutions with new and emerging biomedical engineering programs and those with significant populations of students from underrepresented groups and interest in biomedical career paths.