For John Navarra ’67R.Ph., pharmacist and business
executive, today’s pharmacy students face an envious array of
career options. “There is so much variety in the field now,” he
says. “There are so many more opportunities. The clinical aspects
are phenomenal. I almost wish I were graduating now,” he says
jovially.
Through a series of partnerships and alliances, Navarra created
Town Total Health, a comprehensive pharmaceutical services company
that through corporate-owned and allied drug stores in New York
City, Albany and throughout the state of New Jersey provides an
array of services to patients of health care facilities and private
physicians. Many of these drug stores are located in low-income
neighborhoods.
The moral values instilled at St. John’s have contributed to
Narvarra’s success and led him to establish the Town Total Health
Urban Pharmaceutical Care postgraduate residency through which a
St. John’s graduate gains firsthand experience in serving urban
populations.
“To be successful in any business, you need to be able to
command the respect of people who work with you and for you,” he
explains. “People want a leader they can respect and trust, someone
they feel makes decisions for the greater good. The atmosphere at
St. John’s encourages exactly that type of behavior.”