Jennifer Dinh '21

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Jennifer Dinh, MBA@Rice ’21

As a pharmaceutical sales manager specializing in oncology, Jennifer Dinh is inspired every day by the talented doctors she works with — but she fears that her job will become obsolete within the next decade. She got into pharmaceutical sales right out of college, and has seen the number of jobs like hers dwindle over the past 15 years. The problem, she says, is that the industry is built on a dated sales and marketing model. “In the 1980s and 1990s, with so many new medications coming to market, doctors relied on pharmaceutical sales reps to give them the latest information about breakthrough therapies,” she explains. “Today, doctors have so many other ways to keep up with the latest drug discoveries and advances. From online publications to connecting with thought leaders easily and electronically, there’s less reliance on sales reps to bridge that information gap.” 

Around the time she realized her current career was on its way out, she welcomed a daughter — and started reflecting on her life in a whole new way. “I always tell my daughter to dream big and be whatever you want to be,” she says. That message rekindled her own longtime interest in sport management and inspired her to pursue her dream job: head of business operations for an NBA team. “Very few women occupy that position, and there’s a perspective that’s missing in most NBA front offices. I believe that adding different perspectives and backgrounds at a leadership level allows for growth, and I would love to be that agent of change and growth,” she says. 

Dinh grew up in Houston, the daughter of refugees who found a home here, but now lives in Portland, Oregon. So when she decided that an MBA would help her on her path, Rice Business was her top choice, and the MBA@Rice program was the best fit. Her connections through the MBA program helped her get an internship with the Golden State Warriors this summer, which she did virtually because of the pandemic, gaining experience in everything from operations to marketing to sales. And she found that her experience in the evolving pharmaceutical industry translates surprisingly well to the NBA. 

“The challenge they have is similar to my current industry,” she says. “Customers are consuming information and experiences so differently than they did in the 1990s. Today, fans can get a really great sports experience on TV and find all the highlights online. So finding an unmet need to fill in fan engagement has been one of their greatest challenges. And my experience in seeking out those needs, along with my formal training in finance and operations from Rice Business, will make me a strong asset in helping them adapt.”