As you may have noticed, Team Hormona is expanding as we grow and introduce new features and exclusives. And as part of that expansion and those exclusives, so we’re so proud to announce Ciara Horrigan as the newest member of the team. Ciara is our new Regulatory Manager, helping us navigate the waters of medical regulation as we bring amazing new innovations.
Hey Ciara! Tell us a bit about yourself, and how you got involved in regulation.
Hey Hormona! My name is Ciara, pronounced Keer-rah, Horrigan. I live in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, with my partner, pet rabbit, and cockapoo puppy.
My academic experience means I have a BSc in Biomedical Sciences, an MSc in Human Reproduction and Development, and a Postgraduate Certificate in Regulatory Affairs and Quality Compliance.
I was very fortunate to be able to study for my master’s part-time, while working full-time as an Immunoassay development and manufacturing scientist. And I chose that particular course as it dived deep into the Endocrine system, as well as the development of human embryos in the uterus. I learned so much from highly regarded professionals who have conducted research and published studies on many Endocrine-related disorders for both men and women.
My professional experience includes almost five years as a benchtop immunoassay IVD development scientist. However, most recently I worked as a Regulatory Consultant providing advice, particularly in the European Union and American landscape, in the area of medical device clinical research.
What sparked your interest in a career in Biomedicine?
I suppose my interest began during my own experience of puberty as a teenager. Unfortunately, I always seemed to suffer a little more than my friends every month, and wondered why it worked so differently for everyone.
Science and biology were also my favorite subjects at school — I found learning about the human body and human development fascinating. So it was a natural progression of my interest in Science, and relating the changing female physiological processes to myself, which lead me to study for my master’s in Biomedical Science.
What inspired you to join Hormona?
I’ve kept an eye on Femtech developments, as I always dreamt of steering my career in this direction. I came across a post on LinkedIn that listed “Five Femtech Companies To Look Out For,” and unsurprisingly, Hormona was mentioned!
So, I connected with Hormona co-founder Karolina and sent her a message expressing my interest in Hormona, and discussing any opportunities there may be with my skillset. Once I met Hormona’s COO, Jasmine, along with some of the other team members, I could feel their passion for Hormona’s mission, and I knew it was the place for me!
What will your responsibility as Hormona’s Regulatory Manager be?
My responsibilities include ensuring our hormone tests are developed in compliance with medical device regulations. I’ll be working with our very talented software and scientific teams to ensure we continue to develop our products to the highest regulatory standard for our users. The sky’s the limit for where that takes us!