Her Story
About RAGINI
I initially wanted to be a doctor and go into the field of medicine, but due to financial circumstances, I couldn't pursue that path. However, I still wanted to do something in my career where I could help patients and healthcare, somewhere I could help with the social costs. That's why I chose biomedical engineering and went into the pharmaceutical industry, focusing on making sure the quality of the product is there and that I'm somehow influencing patients' lives. During my bachelor's degree in India, I had a very good chance of working in a highly recognized research organization where I helped develop a 12-channel ECG machine, an innovative medical device, from design to microchip design. That project really made my interest grow in working with this industry and understanding how I can help it. After working for 2 years in India developing pathological instruments from scratch, I came to the US and did my master's in biomedical engineering at the University of Toledo in Ohio, where I got introduced to medical devices and the pharmaceutical regulatory industry. During my master's project, I gained analytical background which helped me work in the pharmaceutical industry. I've been working in this field for almost 10 years now, and for the past six and a half years, I've been with my current company, making sure that all processes are controlled with FDA regulations and the GMP environment, while also trying to make processes leaner for financial cost savings. I'm proud that I'm not only a person with technical background because of my engineering degree, but I also have quality in hand because of my certified quality engineering certification. It's very rare to find quality and technical background together, and having that overall insight and knowledge throughout this experience has made me the perfect individual for my job right now.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with RAGINI
01What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
One of the most important pieces of guidance I received was from a consultant I worked with early in my career, who taught me how consulting work works and how the overtime and work hours you spend with your professional time are countable towards making sure the quality of the product and giving the timeline, committing the time. Another person I worked with for almost 5 years gave me the whole insight about technical, professional, and personality development. He taught me that not only having the technical information is necessary, but delivering it and having interpersonal skills is very important. He gave me a voice, and I really appreciate both of these individuals. I'm still in touch with them and I do seek guidance from them.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would definitely let them know that, first, understand the basics and also get the certification programs, because those certification programs are heavily recognized in the industry and that also gives them an idea about how the industry works and the knowledge. I would say seek the knowledge before you go. First thing, I would always say that half knowledge is dangerous and no knowledge, so always understand what you're doing, the perspective on the bigger picture, and then dive into the project. When I started at the beginning of my career, I didn't think about how many hours I'm putting, I focused on learning. That is what I would always tell people who are coming into this field - focus on learning and understanding before you dive into any project or take something on, because money is something, but learning and understanding and the knowledge will take you throughout your career. That will never go away.
Keep Exploring
More Influential Women · Texas
Join Influential Women and start making an impact. Register now.