After majoring in veterinary medicine at Nippon Veterinary and Life Sciences University, working as a clinical veterinarian at a veterinary hospital for about 5 years, and volunteering at the Koala Hospital and the Royal Society For the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) in Australia, I earned a master's degree in preventive veterinary medicine (MPVM) from the University of California, Davis. I then attended a doctoral program in clinical veterinary medicine at Washington State University, where I conducted research on enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) in cows. In Japan, I conducted research on radiation therapy using mouse models of kidney disease at department of Health Science, Okayama University', where I obtained my doctorate, and then conducted research using gene detection and analysis, and epidemiological surveys as an assistant professor at Department of Public Health in Okayama University.