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Dhanashree Gokhale

Scientific Officer

Dhanashree joined the HPRA on an internship in 2015 as part of her ME Biomedical Engineering degree from UCD.

"The idea of working in the Irish competent authority and familiarising myself with the medical device legislation and the regulatory structure at a European level appealed to me since it was an unexplored field where I could work in a multidisciplinary team and translate classroom knowledge into practical application"

Dhanashree Gokhale jpg

As the only intern in the department, Dhanashree initially thought it would be difficult to assimilate to an organisation of this size and calibre, however found from the start, the appropriate support network was in place:

“Although the learning curve was very steep, the right support from my colleagues and the team spirit prevalent throughout the organisation ensured that I enjoyed my time at the HPRA as an intern and looked forward to working here in the future.”

On completing her degree in 2016, Dhanashree returned to the HPRA in the role of a Scientific Officer in our Device Technical Assessment section in the Human Products Authorisation and Registration department.

Familiar with the organisation and happy to be back, Dhanashree was eager to step up to her new role and face the challenges it presented.

“The encouragement, support and enthusiasm of my team were instrumental in making me set higher targets and work towards achieving them.”



Progression


"One of the advantages of being a part of such a versatile team is that there is always something to learn or a new skill to acquire presenting the opportunity to challenge yourself. I see myself exploring these challenges in the years to come and developing new professional and organisational competencies."

Dhanashree’s new role demanded more technical expertise, better understanding of the current medical device regulatory scenario and the ability to contribute at an EU level. Dhanashree has attributed her readiness to take on such a role to the development of the required competencies as a result of the right training and a supportive learning environment.

“While the workload and responsibilities had increased as I had anticipated, I was pleased to see the work environment that I had appreciated during my time as an intern was still very much the same, if not better!”

Dhanashree has recently been promoted to the role of Technology Group Lead in the Assessment and Surveillance section of the Medical Devices department and is involved in the assessment of the technical and regulatory aspects of medical devices.