I received my degree in microbiology from L’Institut Supérieur Médical in the Democratic Republic of Congo.  I worked as a professor at a medical school in Rwanda before joining the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project (MGVP) - the Gorilla Doctors - in 2003. I live in Goma with my family, but commute regularly to MGVP’s main office in Rwanda.

My duties range from running fecal parasite checks and bacterial cultures on mountain gorilla samples to administering the MGVP employee health program in Rwanda. The latter job involves coordinating doctor visits and taking laboratory samples from hundreds of park rangers and guides each year. I am also engaged in teaching and public speaking within the local community, where I raise awareness about the need to protect our environment. I get enormous satisfaction when people realize that gorillas and the other animals of the park have a right to a peaceful existence, too.