Dr Urmila Thatte, Head of Department of Clinical Pharmacology TN Medical College and BYL Nair Hospital, Mumbai

As Head of Department of Clinical Pharmacology in Mumbai's TN Medical College and BYL Nair Hospital, Dr Urmila Thatte is more than a woman of substance

Being a professionally ambitious woman does not mean having no personal life. One who faces the challenges of both, and yet manages to balance them, is a winner in the real sense. Dr Urmila Thatte is an epitome of such qualities. "I think women professionals are adept at juggling the multiple roles of mom, spouse, daughter-in-law and as a professional. In my case, my career choice most times allowed me to make time for family. When I needed to be away, I could rely on timely support systems within the family," says Thatte.

Shining stars

Well aware of what she wanted in life, Thatte chose a career which would allow her to spend time with her family. This was the reason that she started a career in pharmacology at the Seth GS Medical College and KEM Hospital. After completing a fairly 'unspectacular' MD (her words), she got married and opted for her first child. "All this happened within the first three years after registering for MD," remarks Thatte. It was only after this span of time that her interest in research was stimulated and then there was no looking back.

After almost twenty years of hard work and dedication to her subject in the department, Thatte got an opportunity to develop clinical pharmacology at Nair Hospital. She has been working in this department for the last six years. "I feel fortunate that I got opportunities to change my focus from the local to national and international. Working with almost all governmental organisations in various capacities of member of advisory committees or task force," she says.

A popular figure amongst the pharmacology fraternity, Thatte carries many stars to her credit. She serves on the National Pharmacovigilance Advisory Committee and is also the Coordinator of the Regional Pharmacovigilance Centre of the National Pharmacovigilance Programme. She is also on the WHO Expert Advisory Panel on Drug Evaluation.

While Thatte has completed a project on developing training modules on GCP and Advanced GCP as well as National DSMB Guidelines for the DCGI, her main areas of research interest include rational use of drugs in developing countries, herbal medicine and conceptual understanding of ayurveda. She also serves on the ethics committes of the Tata Memorial Hospital, Hinduja Hospital and KEM Hospital as well as on the Independent Ethics Committee, Mumbai. She is also the Secretary of the Forum for Ethics Review Committees in India.

Success mantra

Communication and interaction are important for any individual to grow. Women, though highly efficient at it, are often not using it. However, Thatte feels that she has matured as a clinical pharmacologist over the years and her interaction with colleagues and students who work in the pharma industry has been an important facet of her career. "I believe we all grow mainly through these interactions and I strongly maintain that in any academic institution the strength of the department is in the students - in the same way I continue to learn through my students," she says.

For Thatte, success is a relative term. "I have always strived to do my best (sorry if that sounds clichéd) in whatever life threw at me," she says. She drives her inspiration from her ‘role models’—Dr Dahanukar at work, her mother (who was herself a math professor) at home and from her husband, who she feels was her support throughout. And what about the guiding philosophy in life? "Honesty," pat comes the reply from her. "I do not step on someone else's toes to achieve my goals - the pie is large enough in my world," she adds firmly.