Weekend Executive MBA
Top Areas of Career Focus
IT (16%)
Financial Services (14%)
Health Care/Health Services (10%)
Manufacturing/Operations (9%)
Sales/Business Development (8%)
Consulting (8%)
Jaymie Estrella
“Being the sole woman on one of my teams was a great experience for me. We had multiple discussions on inclusion and how to be an advocate to ensure that everyone on the team had their voice heard.”
Global Marketing Director
Merck & Co.
Weekend Executive MBA
Class of 2020
Industry:
Pharmaceuticals
Prior Education:
UT Health MD Anderson Cancer Center
PhD—Oncology/Immunology, 2002
PhD—Oncology/Immunology, 2002
Hometown:
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Nationality:
USA
Reflections
Working in the pharmaceutical field, I used my training as a scientist to launch my career in the medical division of drug development. As I progressed higher in my career, I became more involved in strategic discussions that involved business terminology and concepts that were unfamiliar to me. Within a short amount of time (18 months), I developed a deeper understanding of business, strategic thinking, finance, and operations, which has already allowed me to have deeper discussions and better interactions in my current role.
Before Fuqua
I was a U.S. medical director at Janssen Biotech, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, for Imbruvica, a $4B drug used to treat blood cancer. I was in charge of conducting post-approval clinical trials to address the needs of the U.S. market.
After Fuqua
I transitioned to a commercial role at Merck. I am responsible for helping build out the hematology pipeline through business development and licensing activities and to ensure the successful early development of products before a global launch.
Advice
With all the assignments, family obligations, and work responsibilities, it can sometimes be difficult to make time for “downtime” and activities with classmates, but this is a must. Building bonds with the rich resource of talented individuals that your cohort brings is priceless. I learned more about the world and how business is being conducted in different industries by chatting with my classmates.
Typical Class Demographics
Weekend Executive MBA
Age Range
28-45
Work Experience
5-20 years
Students with Advanced Degrees
32%
Countries Represented
19
Women
27%
