Dr. Asteria Kimambo is a pathologist at Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH) and a lecturer at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Science (MUHAS). Her primary research interests are in strengthening cancer diagnosis in Tanzania and other resource-limited settings. Her training has given Dr. Kimambo  a broad range of skills and strong background in anatomical pathology, cytopathology, and capacity building. During her  residency in Anatomic Pathology at MUHAS, Dr. Kimambo worked on a project that focused on validating biomarkers on cell blocks from breast cancer patients. The study represented the first systematic clinical validation of immunohistochemistry (IHC) on cell block material in East Africa and addressed a major diagnostic gap in cytopathology. For this project she spent one month of intensive training at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) on ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration (FNAB) and incorporating rapid on site evaluation (ROSE) for cytology samples. Dr. Kimambo is a member of a research collaboration between MUHAS, Ocean Road Cancer Institute (ORCI), and UCSF (the MUHAS-ORCI-UCSF Cancer Collaboration), she have worked extensively on a project focused on improving access to point-of-care diagnostic testing for breast cancer biomarkers using cytology samples. The knowledge acquired during these projects greatly increased her skills in laboratory validation and techniques and inspired her to develop a career in implementing evidence based diagnostic tests in resource limited settings.

During 2020-2021, Dr. Kimambo was selected for a 12-month mentored research fellowship through the GloCal Health Fellowship offered by the University of California Global Health Institute and sponsored by the Fogarty International Center of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (D43TW009343).  Concurrently, she also received mentorship through the Global Cancer Program Fellowship at the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center. During the GloCal project, she conducted a formative evaluation and designed strategies for integrating a point of care diagnostic test to improve breast cancer biomarkers using cytology materials. During this fellowship, I developed practical experience in implementation science frameworks and qualitative research.

Currently, Dr. Kimambo is a PhD Scholar at MUHAS supported by the NIH-funded award “Building a Cancer Research Training Program in Tanzania”, which is co-led by MUHAS and UCSF (D43TW011598). Her thesis will be focusing on designing a novel strategy to improve the quality of pathology services for breast cancer patients in Tanzania and comparable resource-constrained settings.