Preparing Tomorrow's Pharmacy Leaders 

“With a business mindset and science combined, we will create the future Icons of Pharmacy here.”  -Vince Whiting, EA Contribute and Supporter

How can membership in the Entrepreneurial Academy contribute to Pharm.D Student success? 
  1. Students will learn to develop a robust business and complete business plan ranging from proposes to add on a clinical service to an existing pharmacy service or to create an entirely new entrepreneurial endeavor  
  2. Hone business skills that will benefit a Pharm.D student in any professional setting
  3. Develop complex management skills related to committee management and event planning.

"The OSU/OHSU College of Pharmacy's Entrepreneurial Academy is dedicated to providing a strong understanding of business practices so that pharmacy graduates are positioned to provide leadership in any cooperate or business environment." - EA President, Kim Ann Tran ('21)

Entrepreneurial Academy Advisor,

Paige Clark ('85)

OSU College of Pharmacy's Entrepreneurial Academy Advisor Paige Clark Rph ('85), Director of Alumni Relations, Professional Development & Continuing Education ACPE Accredited, and leads and developed the Entrepreneurial Academy. She leads student business development and engagement in OSU College of Pharmacy's Entrepreneurial Academy. Paige has seen the growth of student business related skills that have helped students evolve into highly effective and sought after employees and entrepreneurs.  

Pictured: Paige Clark (pictured front, center) with 2016 Entrepreneurial Academy Members

Entrepreneurial Academy Alumni

Tilli Bjornberg, Pharm.D, MBA (’14)

Tilli grew up in John Day, OR, where her parents own Len’s Drug, the only pharmacy for about 70 miles. She grew up watching her parents work there and, eventually, began working there herself. She is currently the Pharmacy Manager at Len’s Drug, where she does everything from compounding to running a smoking cessation program.

“There was never a time I didn’t think about coming home and taking over the family business. As a small business, we have to do it all, marketing, finance, HR, and more. The Entrepreneurial Academy was the perfect place for me to interact with fellow pharmacy students who had similar pursuits as an entrepreneur. This was a great addition to my experience to help me with my future pursuits!" - Dr. Tilli Bjornberg, Pharm.D ('14)

She utilizes her EA experience and her MBA almost every day as she works on marketing of services, working with her employees, looking at the finance side of the business, and insuring they are setting and reaching their goals.

Pictured: Tilli Bjornberg '14, Greg Armstrong '84

Long Trinh, Pharm.D, MS, MBA, BCPS (’14)

Dr. Long Trinh, Pharm.D is the Co-Founder and past President of the OSU College of Pharmacy's Entrepreneurial Academy from May 2011 to June 2013. During his tenure as the groups leader, Long led three committees (management, marketing, finance) and 20 students in the development of a business plan, entitled ‘Niapon Pharmacy Health Solutions’. The Entrepreneurial Academy was established as a professional development program which aims to give students new opportunities to develop as future pharmacy business leaders by honing business, leadership and management skills. The Academy also provides an avenue for alumni to share their wisdom and provide support to students who are interested in creating successful business models and exploring entrepreneurial opportunities.

“An effective clinician and administrator requires complementary expertise in business and leadership. The Entrepreneurial Academy exposed me to these essential acumen, through student health outreach opportunities and competitions (e.g., Breakin' Down the MU, Business Plan competition)! The great faculty and alumni advisors of the program provided the mentorship and coaching, which contributed towards my professional development as a student!” Long D. Trinh 14’

The leadership and managerial skills that Dr. Trinh has developed are highly valued in his role as Inpatient Operations Manager of Pharmacy Services at Oregon Health & Sciences University. As a pharmacy leader within OHSU Dr. Trinh provides support for automation & technology, sterile and non-sterile compounding, general medication distribution processes, and leads the health-system pharmacy internship program. In addition to receiving his PharmD in 2014, Dr. Trinh sought to enhance his clinical and administrative acumen, by completing a combined postgraduate PGY1 and PGY2 residency in health-system pharmacy administration at the Cleveland Clinic and received a Master of Science degree in health-system pharmacy administration from Northeast Ohio Medical University in 2016. He then completed the OSU MBA program in 2018 as it aligns with his long-term goals to become an agent of change in the delivery of health care. The program allowed him to effectively translate his ideas into sound business proposals, generating value to shareholders, all while putting the patient first.

Other Past EA Leaders

Zach Aalberg (’20)

Past president Zach Aalberg is looking forward to graduation in June 2020 and has this to say about his EA experience.

"The OSU College of Pharmacy has done a fantastic job of integrating leadership and business skills into the program through EA. I believe pharmacists are well positioned to push companies and industry forward as long as we are given the tools necessary, and EA is instrumental in allowing us to expand on those tools in real world scenarios, be it planning events or developing business cases. I personally learned a lot about speaking in front of groups, maintaining timelines and communication with different teams, and even the nuances of developing a good agenda. I am thankful for the skills EA allowed me to develop and look forward to utilizing them when I graduate." - Zach Aalberg '20

Natasha Malik (’19)

Natasha Malik anticipates graduation in 2019 and is excited to utilize the many business skills that she has acquired as a leader in the OSU college of Pharmacy's Entrepreneurial Academy.

Kelly Kovl, Pharm.D ('18)

Dr. Kelly Kovl Pharm.D ('18), was president of the Entrepreneurial Academy from 2015 to 2016. As president of the academy, Dr. Kovl led multiple committees through the groups annual projects. She gained intern and technician experience in the Emergency Room, long term care, specialty pharmacy, pharmacy administration, and low income patient clinical settings prior to starting pharmacy school. She is now a Pharmacist at an independently owned compounding pharmacy in Michigan. Dr. Kovl is assisting with the expansion of the business including company branding, website updates, education of sales staff, social media and more. Dr. Kovl intends to start her online MBA through OSU beginning in Fall 2019. Dr. Kovl intends to start her online MBA through OSU beginning in Fall 2019. 

"My first pharmacy job was at an independently owned pharmacy. While I learned a lot there, I wanted to further explore the business side of things... this led me to The Entrepreneurial Academy. The EA allowed me access to business leaders in the pharmacy industry and the skills I gained as President led me to my dream job as a pharmacist at a compounding pharmacy. On top of this, I also work for a pharmacist who is starting his own Pharmacy Benefits Manager, AscendPBM. The EA gave me the stepping stones and encouragement to go for what I want in my career." - Kelly Kovl Pharm.D ('18)

Brittany Louie, Pharm.D (’17)

Brittany Louie, recently promoted to Consultant Pharmacist, Consonus Healthcare credits the OSU College of Pharmacy Entrepreneurial Academy with setting her up for success as an independent thinker and a business problem solver. 

"The Entrepreneurial Academy at Oregon State University College of Pharmacy helped me reach beyond my pharmaceutical classwork and realize that pharmacy is truly a business and a network. My involvement in this group allowed me to hear from the best in the pharmacy/business industry, organize many events, write and pitch two business case and proposals and even earn scholarships! After struggling through hours of "number crunching" and employing novel ideas for reimbursement to break even, I honestly learned that my team and I could do anything with enough research, creativity, and self-motivation. I brought those skills onto rotations-- setting up and managing multi-million dollars worth of inventory for an infusion clinic and also to work-- creating and optimizing workflow and standard work procedures for a new clinical pilot program. Paige, the Entrepreneurial Academy volunteers, speakers, mentors all imparted pearls of wisdom that I have continued to utilize and helped me to network with my current employers as well as distinguish myself from other new graduates." - Dr. Brittany Louie Pharm.D '17

Courtney Louie, Pharm.D (’17)

Courtney Louie Pharm.D, graduate with the class of 2017, found that her opportunities to develop leadership skills brought her success in moving forward into her professional endeavors. 

Mike Sisson, Pharm.D ('15)

Dr. Mike Sisson, Pharm.D ('15) utilized the Entrepreneurial Academy to explore business principles and learn leadership skills. Under Mike's leadership, his team consisted of some of the strongest committee teams the academy has ever seen. 

Kristin Kruskamp, Pharm.D (’15)

Dr. Kristin Kruskamp, Pharm.D ('15) led an expansion of the OSU Cop EA overseeing one of the most successful business case developments endeavors.