How Öge Gözütok Moore '25 Advanced Her Regulatory Compliance Career
Öge Gözütok Moore, MSRC ’25, loves the field of regulatory compliance so much that her LinkedIn profile reads, “I start my day singing about regulations and make my coffee thinking about regulations! I am all about the R-E-G-U-L-A-T-I-O-N-S!”
To turn this passion into deeper expertise, Moore enrolled in Northwestern’s MS in Regulatory Compliance (MSRC) program after several years working as a regulatory coordinator at the University’s Department of Neurology. “I wanted to deepen my career in this field and see what more I could bring to the table," she says. Not only did she gain the knowledge she was looking for, but her capstone project—the MSRC program’s first pilot program with healthcare company Abbott Laboratories—also led to a new job.
Finding a calling, driven to excel
Moore grew up in Istanbul, where she worked as a practicing veterinarian with a curiosity that would eventually lead her into a new field. While running a small animal clinic, she completed a master's degree in veterinary reproductive sciences but began to feel a shift after eight years in the field, realizing her career path “may not be working for me.”
She relocated to Chicago to work in a preclinical research lab at Northwestern’s Department of Neurology that was investigating ALS disease using mouse models. In this role, she oversaw animal operations, surgeries, behavioral analysis, and regulatory submissions to the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, the first regulatory body that animal research faces. “That's when my love for regulatory sciences ignited,” she says.
Moore eventually became the regulatory coordinator for human research in the department. At that point, she became aware of gaps in her regulatory knowledge, spurring her to pursue a Master of Science in Regulatory Compliance program at Northwestern University School of Professional Studies (SPS).
"This program had exactly what I was aiming to excel at,” she says.
Regulatory compliance tools to apply at work immediately
In her job as the neurology department’s first regulatory coordinator, Moore realized, “There wasn't an established framework for how internal audits, reviews, and improvement processes were held.”
Thanks to information she learned from the MSRC program’s core courses on leadership, quality systems, compliance, and clinical research, at work, Moore proposed a quality assurance and improvement program she could implement immediately. “Being in the Regulatory Compliance program gave me the confidence to present my ideas openly because I knew now that theoretically it was based on science,” she says. “I could justify how it would benefit the department in the short term and the long run. I was proud of this achievement.”
Russell Robertson’s leadership course made her realize, "Oh, I am in the right place." He introduced his class to leadership journey cards (LJC) , a tool to help students develop storytelling skills as a professional tool. “The goal is to connect personal stories with the organizational needs,” she says. “People believe organizations have the same vulnerabilities because they are groups of individuals with unique life experiences. By preparing an LJC, you prepare to share these stories in a structured and meaningful way in group settings.” Robertson encouraged her, as she reflected on family memories and her time as a veterinarian back in Turkey. "‘You have all this career under your belt. Focus on your pain or your gains.’"
Moore also praises the diversity and camaraderie present within her cohort, which was mostly mid-career professionals. “We were already very confident about sharing our vulnerabilities and where we were looking to grow.” Her coursework included a peer review process. “I think it's one of the most important skills one has to gain: how you give criticism and how you receive it. The program was very helpful for this.”
A new career opportunity
Moore’s capstone project was the pilot of a partnership between SPS and Chicago-based Abbott, and led directly to her new job there. Carol Beirne, Faculty Director for the MS in Regulatory Compliance, announced to students that Abbott was looking for a student willing to do a project with real data working with a real company. Moore was the first to respond.
Over ten weeks, she developed a protocol for Abbott to determine the necessary regulatory framework when a digital health tool product is launched, registered, and commercialized in other countries. Using a “define, measure, analyze, improve, and control” process she had studied in school, Moore translated Abbott's regulatory issues to the DMAIC process and presented a solution to Beirne and the leadership team at Abbott for approval. Abbott then made a plan to eventually deliver Moore’s new tool after they finished developing it.
Moore partnered with the Abbott regulatory team on site several times while they worked on the tool. When a regulatory specialist position working with on-market diagnostics position opened up, Moore’s teammates at Abbott suggested she apply. Moore describes the job interview process as “such fun. I first met with the panel, and we were laughing out loud and engaging while talking about regulatory.” She got the job.
Moore started her new role in August and has been excited to put her regulatory knowledge and enthusiasm to work. “I love the new job,” she says. But once she’s settled into her new role, Moore hopes to return to Northwestern to teach in the MSRC program herself. “I want to continue giving back what I got.”
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