Charlie Monahan and the Mass College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Anna K. Morin, PharmD

When Charles (Charlie) F. Monahan Jr., a life-long resident of Worcester, MA, graduated from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy located in Boston, MA in 1962, he knew he wanted to own a pharmacy. He worked at Saint Vincent Hospital on Vernon Hill as a hospital pharmacist for a year, saving enough money to purchase and open his first “Monahan’s Pharmacy” store – a small narrow shop on the corner of Main and Beaver Streets, across from Clark University. Charlie made it a point to get to know his customers and enjoyed talking with them. He was constantly in search of ways to improve customer service and opportunities to expand the business. In partnership with his wife Lenny, one store quickly grew into six, including a medical supply store on Main Street. At “Monahan’s Pharmacy” not only could customers get their prescriptions filled, but, depending on the location and neighborhood needs, they could purchase school supplies and lottery tickets, pick up their mail, and pay their utility bills. Home delivery service was also provided. At the height of the business, there were 120 employees, many who were family.

In addition to running the pharmacies in Worcester, Charlie was appointed to the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Pharmacy in 1976 and served in various roles until 1986. After serving as a board member since 1979, Charlie was appointed chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in 1991 and in 1997 he was inaugurated as the fifth full-time MCPHS president. His experiences as a business owner and his passion for the profession of pharmacy served as the foundation for his goal to transform and grow MCPHS. Charlie, recognizing a national pharmacist shortage as an opportunity to expand the pharmacy school footprint, had a vision that brought MCPHS to his hometown of Worcester.

In the summer of 1999, MCPHS University purchased and renovated the vacant Albert Spencer Lowell building located in downtown Worcester at the corner of Norwich and Foster Streets. This five-story, 102-year-old building was the ideal setting for the second MCPHS school of pharmacy due to close proximity to the city’s two medical centers - Saint Vincent Hospital and the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. The building at 19 Foster Street was renamed after alumna, pharmacist and benefactor Henrietta DeBenedictis and included state-of-the-art classrooms and laboratory facilities; conference rooms; faculty and academic support offices; two auditoriums with multi-media capacity; and the Blais Family library. In fall 2000, the School of Pharmacy-Worcester welcomed its first class of approximately 100 PharmD students. The School of Pharmacy-Worcester/Manchester (a PharmD cohort was added on the MCPHS Manchester campus in 2004) continues to offer a fully accredited, year-round, accelerated

PharmD program that allows students to build on their previous bachelor’s degrees or sufficient pre-requisite credits to earn the PharmD degree in just 34 months, compared to the four-year professional phase of traditional PharmD programs.

Over the past 20 plus years, the MCPHS University presence in Worcester has grown significantly, expanding to over 1400 students. The Worcester campus includes multiple academic, residential and administrative buildings throughout downtown Worcester and houses the School of Healthcare Business and numerous health profession programs, including the Forsyth School of Dental Hygiene, the School of Medical Imaging and Therapeutics, the New England School of Acupuncture (NESA), the School of Nursing, the School of Occupational Therapy, the School of Optometry, the School of Pharmacy, the School of Physical Therapy, and the School of Physician Assistant Studies. In addition to health and professional education, community service is central to the mission and vision of MCPHS University. For information on the patient clinics and services available on the Worcester campus, please visit: https://www.mcphs.edu/patient-centers.

In January of 2020, Charlie Monahan retired from his position as president of MCPHS University after 23 years. Under his leadership, MCPHS University grew from a Boston-based college of pharmacy into a nationally ranked university offering more than 100 healthcare degree and certificate programs. Today, MCPHS University is home to a diverse group of more than 7,000 students and 2,000 faculty and staff across three campuses (Boston, Worcester and Manchester, NH) and online. +

Anna K. Morin, PharmD Dean, School of Pharmacy-Worcester/Manchester Interim Chief Academic Officer, Worcester and Manchester Campuses

References:

Gonsalves, Susan. Hometown Heroes: Charles F. Monahan Jr. of MCPHS; Worcester Magazine; November 27, 2019 (available at: https://www.worcestermag.com/entertainmentlife/20191127/hometown-heroes-charles-f-monahanjr-of-mcphs)

The Bulletin: A Publication for MCPHS University Alumni and Friends. Winter 2019. (available at: https://issuu.com/ mcphspublications/docs/mcphs_winter_bulletin_2019)

Johnson, Marguerite (Executive Editor). The Visionary Pharmacist: How a Worcester Boy Transformed MCPHS University. 2016; Ball Consulting Group, LLC; Newton, MA.

MCPHS University Strategic Plan: 2018-2023. Available at: https://www.mcphs.edu/about-mcphs/mission-andcore-values.