Following her graduating in Zoology at the University of Dar es Salaam,[1] she joined the National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) in 1987, where she worked at the Amani Center to conduct research on lymphatic filariasis. Following this, she continued her education at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, where she completed her MSc (1990) and PhD (1995). She continued her research at NIMR thereafter, and became Director of Research Coordination and Promotion (DRCP) in 1998 before moving on to become the Director of the Lymphatic Filariasis program in 2000, which is now functional in 53 districts (population: 13 million people).