Accelerate Your Pharmacy Management Career

"The MBA provided me with the foundation to manage pharmacists and find creative ways to help my pharmacies meet goals" - Amy Ciampi ('12)

Long D. Trinh, PharmD ('14), MS, MBA ('18), BCPS

In the role of Inpatient Operations Manager, Pharmacy Services at Oregon Health & Sciences University, Long provides support for automation & technology, sterile and non-sterile compounding, general medication distribution processes, and the health-system pharmacy internship program. Dr. Trinh’s passion for medicine and chemistry led him to pursue a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Oregon State University. 

“There are so many ways that we, as pharmacists, can practice. In this role, I have the opportunity to work with people, be creative, and I am challenged every single day.”

To enhance his clinical and administrative acumen, Dr. Trinh completed 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 because it aligned 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.

Pictured: Long Trinh '14

Tilli Bjornberg, PharmD ('14), MBA (’15)

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 MBA allowed me to understand all sides of business beyond just the pharmacy side.”

She utilizes 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

Sara Gunden, PharmD, MBA (’13)

An Inpatient Operations Manager at Kaiser Permanente, Sara oversees the day-to-day operations of her pharmacy. Her duties include management of Pyxis machines, sterile and non-sterile compounding and human resources.

“I add value to my team because I am able to look at situations from a different angle, which I developed from attaining my MBA, which allows me to combine my perspective as a pharmacist with that of a business-minded individual.”

Sara is among a growing number of OSU/OHSU Pharmacy graduates to enter the profession with their MBA, which has helped her become a leader within Kaiser. Colleagues describe Sara as a leader with a talent for providing her team with clarity and direction in difficult situations.

Pictured: Mark Zabriskie, Sara Gunden '13

Kevin Russell, RPh ('93), MBA ('15)

Outpatient Pharmacy Operations Manager at Samaritan Health Services, returns to OSU to pursue his MBA in order to advance his understanding and ability to lead on the business side of pharmacy. The OSU MBA program gave Kevin valuable skills in human resource management, finance, project management, and strategic planning.

"I now feel like I can speak confidently on many business matters where I could not prior to earning my MBA." 

Since earning his MBA at OSU, Kevin has also found that he benefits from his business credibility and is more effective in advocating for his ideas and proposals. In his words, “Being able to speak the language of business allows you to be a much stronger advocate for your department.” By continually working to learn and improve himself, he is able to use his skills to add value to his entire organization.