After my initial stint of a few years in academia, I was desirous of moving to the industry to have hands-on experience in the actual process.  It was at this time I came across the Biocon-KGI certificate program in Bioscience & was fortunate to be selected for it. This program gave me an opportunity to realize my dream. It helped in the smooth transition from academics to the industry.

To start with, the syllabus of the Biocon- KGI certificate program in Bioscience is designed keeping the industry needs in mind. It bridges the gap between academia & the industry. The faculties are masters in their subjects with years of industry experience. They always reinforced the need to understand the subject in depth & its application, appreciated inquisitiveness & encouraged asking questions during the sessions.  We were challenged & tested through regular assessments & group assignments which enabled deeper understanding & application-based learning. We had the opportunity to interact with the industry experts, work on various projects & acquire hands-on training. We truly had the essence & understanding of how exactly the pharmaceutical industry functions. 

At the end of the program, I was confident of working in any departments of my choice.  Having learned subjects like Regulatory Affairs, Downstream & Upstream processing, Pharmaceutical Manufacturing & Quality Assurance to name a few, I was completely equipped to start working in the regulated healthcare industry.         

The practice sessions & the mock interviews helped me gain confidence for the campus placements.  I was fortunate to be placed at the Quality Assurance in Biocon. When I started working after the completion of my program, I realized I was taught most of the things I needed to know to work efficiently. I only had to build from there to suit the needs of the department & the organization.

Looking back I realize the contribution of Biocon Academy in my professional life. Not only they prepared us to work in any department but also helped us present ourselves as promising candidates at the campus placements with reputed pharmaceutical companies. The programs at Biocon Academy are very unique in terms of its curriculum & the industry training, giving an edge to the students over the rest of the freshers.

The academy provided an environment that fostered advanced learning & prepared us for the pharmaceutical industry. Here, I learned to look beyond the syllabus, read the guidelines, and keep myself updated.  I realized that patient safety is at the crux of everything we do in this industry with no short cut & in the healthcare industry, no role is big or small; it is imperative to do justice to our own roles & ensure that a safe & effective medicine reaches the patients.

Profile:

Shanon D’Silva was a student of the Batch 3 Biocon- KGI certificate program in Bioscience. Prior to joining the academy, she worked as an Assistant Professor, teaching Chemical Engineering to undergraduate students at BMS College of Engineering (Bangalore), National Institute of Technology Karnataka (NITK, Suratkal) & Nitte Engineering College (Mangalore). She is a Fifth University Rank holder in B.E. Biotechnology from the Visweswaraya Technological University, Belgaum. Her Educational Qualification is M.Tech in Chemical Plant Design (Chemical Engineering) from NITK Suratkal & B.E. in Biotechnology from P.A. College of Engineering. She has also published a technical paper in the International Journal of Dispersion Science.

She has worked at Mylan Labs & Biocon Limited as a Quality Assurance Professional. Her areas of expertise are Document Management System, Quality Management system, preparing SOP, audits, technical document reviews, computer system validation, training personnel & project management.