By Molly Gholson
Dina’s pharmacy was filling 800 to 1,000 prescriptions a day. She had just graduated from pharmacy school, and this was her first job—high volume and intense. The pharmacy technician would be posted at the counter interacting directly with the patients while the pharmacists worked behind the scenes.
Dina recalls when a new manager challenged that model. “I remember him saying to me, ‘The patient is here. They’re relying on your education and information as the pharmacist, so it’s your job to be available to them.’”
He encouraged Dina to spend more time at the front counter or the drive-through window talking directly with patients.
At first, the idea felt intimidating. By the end of the first day, she was convinced.
“It felt good in a way that’s hard to describe,” she says. “The patients weren’t used to a pharmacist being at the window or at the counter. Some needed help understanding a new medication. Others needed reassurance during an overwhelming moment. You could see how much they appreciated having the pharmacist available to answer their questions.”
It wasn’t always easy, but having those direct conversations helped build her confidence and reinforced the importance of being present for people. Years later, that lesson still guides the way Dina works in her role as an Account Supervisor at SNOW.
From Pharmacy to Marketing
Born and raised in New Jersey, Dina spent years working as a pharmacist before making the leap into pharmaceutical marketing in 2022. Although the move may seem unexpected, Dina says it felt like a natural progression because she’s always been passionate about patient engagement.
As a pharmacist, Dina learned that making complex information easier to understand could have a meaningful impact on someone’s experience.
In this work, Dina sees the power of taking time to reflect on what it would be like if you were going through a particular diagnosis or treatment journey. “I can put myself in the patient’s shoes,” Dina says. “I think about the kinds of questions they might have that someone in healthcare might overlook.”
When reviewing patient-facing materials, she often finds herself asking, Would a patient understand this? Is there another way to explain it? What would someone search online if they were confused? What would they see?
For Dina, those details matter.
Then there are the very real concerns patients face around access and affordability. “I remember sitting with patients who were trying to decide, ‘Which of my medications can I do without because I can’t afford them all?’ I would help them search online for assistance programs that could potentially help cover the cost. Now when I work on these projects, I think back to those moments.”
It Takes a Team
When projects become demanding or timelines grow tight, Dina makes a point to acknowledge the people around her.
“I have to make sure they know, ‘I see you, I know the hard work you’re putting in, and I appreciate you,’” she says.
She believes everyone plays an important role in bringing a project to life and whenever possible, Dina makes sure clients understand that too.
“I love that moment when the client says, ‘You took my vision, and it looks even better than I thought it would,’” she says. “I always want them to know there are people behind the work,” she says. “The writer, the art director, everyone contributes to making that vision come to life.”
Beyond the Office
Outside of work, Dina’s world revolves around her family. She and her husband spend their weekends keeping up with their energetic four-year-old son and his love for playing sports. In the summer, she loves a good neighborhood street fair or an afternoon at the pool.
She’s also an unapologetic sports fan.
A lifelong New York Knicks supporter—and thanks to her husband, now a devoted Mets fan—Dina follows New York sports with pride.
“The energy this summer was just absolute insanity,” she says of the Knicks’s playoff run with a laugh. “Everyone was just in disbelief.”
She also loved watching the World Cup. A daughter of Egyptian parents, Dina was thrilled to follow Egypt’s amazing run. “They made it further than they had in the past, so that was really exciting to witness!” she says.
And when life slows down, she’s just as happy reading fantasy novels with some books about pharmaceutical marketing mixed in too. She’s always looking for opportunities to keep learning.
What’s next?
In her work at SNOW, Dina keeps asking the core questions she asked herself as a pharmacist. Will this make sense? Will this help someone? What does this person need in this moment of their journey? How can we help them leave this interaction feeling more confident and supported than when they arrived?
Dina is excited to keep combining her healthcare background with creative problem-solving to create meaningful projects with the SNOW team!
