Zarina graduated from the University of the Western Cape in 1996 and worked in Norwich, UK, before travelling through South East Asia, Europe, and South Africa, also serving as a locum dentist for the British Army in Germany. She later practised in Wiltshire, then returned to Cape Town in 2003, combining private practice with teaching and advanced training. Passionate about endodontics and restorative dentistry, she collaborated with Dr Howard Gluckman on implant cases and peer study groups. In 2020, she served at SANAE IV in Antarctica. Relocating to the UK in 2020, she now practises at Ilchester Dental Care.