Three Generations of St. John’s Alumni Carry Forward a Tradition of Community Pharmacy

“I pursued pharmacy because I wanted to do something in the medical field, but medicine was not an option,” explained Mr. Navarra, Chief Executive Officer and Cofounder of Town Drug Pharmacy. “There were five of us in the neighborhood who decided to go to pharmacy school. For five years, we did a carpool from Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, to St. John’s. Literally, we were all in the same classes together, and we graduated together. It was a good decision to attend.”

After earning his degree, he worked for several different pharmacies before opening Town Drug Pharmacy in 1982. Over the years, Mr. Navarra expanded his business into various home care operations, including nursing services, specialty pharmacy, respiratory therapy services, durable medical equipment, IV infusion, and compounding services. Together, the businesses reflected his commitment to meeting patients where they were and providing comprehensive care beyond the traditional pharmacy setting.

“In the 1980s, we did a good amount of work with Weill Cornell on pediatric HIV treatment,” he recalled. “They were doing clinical trials, and they asked us to see if we could help them because there were absolutely no pediatric doses available. My son and daughter developed a pediatric dose. The doctors who prescribed it saw progress and it worked.”

He continued, “We shared that information with the other hospitals in the city, and it probably saved hundreds, if not thousands, of lives. We weren’t doing it for the dollars; we were doing it because it needed to be done.”

In 1983, St. John’s University asked him to organize a rotation for students interested in retail. “Of course, I said yes,” he shared. 

It was through that rotation that he met an ambitious young student who today is one of his most trusted business partners: Jose Caseres, R.Ph. ’84CPHS, President of City Drug & Surgical.

“Jose really excelled in the program,” Mr. Navarra said. “As his mentor, I knew he was going to work in retail one day—even if he didn’t know it for himself!”

Mr. Caseres explained, “I was doing my rotation at John’s pharmacy, Town Drug, when I was offered a position at Lilly Pharmaceutical.”

While Mr. Navarra saw tremendous potential in Mr. Caseres, he felt his mentee’s long-term success would be better served by first gaining experience at Lilly. It was advice that would ultimately benefit both men.

“I told Jose to take the job at Lilly and then come back in a year or two, and we could do something together,” he said. “He did, and we opened up a few other operations together over the years.”

In 1995, Mr. Caseres established City Drug & Surgical, a chain of pharmacies in Washington Heights and Rockland County, NY. Like his mentor before him, he brought in various mentees along the way. Among them was fellow Johnnie, David Chan, R.Ph. ’95CPHS

“I was going into my junior year at St. John’s and working at another pharmacy,” he explained. “I wanted something closer to home because I knew the coursework in my final years of pharmacy school would be more demanding.”

After cold calling pharmacies in his neighborhood, he landed an interview at City Drug and was hired as an intern. Two years later, when Mr. Chan expressed interest in taking a position at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital (now, NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center), Mr. Caseres found himself in a familiar situation. Following the example set by his own mentor, Mr. Navarra, he encouraged Mr. Chan to pursue the opportunity, gain valuable experience, and return when the time was right.

“I told him to take the job,” he said. “I explained to him that he could network there, and in a few years, we’d open up a pharmacy right outside the hospital, and it would be very successful. And that’s exactly what we did.”

Now an owner of two City Drug locations (including one with Mr. Caseres), Mr. Chan is eager to help the next generation of pharmacists explore the opportunities and rewards of community pharmacy through mentorship programs with St. John’s University. “I would love to be in John’s and Jose’s shoes one day and have mentees the same way that they both did,” he said. “It would be great to get students involved in community pharmacies again.”

Mr. Chan added, “We’ve discussed starting a pilot program similar to what we were involved in at St. John’s, where we could identify pharmacy students who would like to devote their careers to community pharmacies. We want to give them different perspectives and help expose them to the benefits of working in community pharmacies.”

Their vision for a new mentorship program is fueled by a deep appreciation for today’s pharmacy students and the education they received at St. John’s. “I’m a preceptor for all the schools of pharmacy in New York, and the St. John’s kids are really, truly interested in what they can do as pharmacists—and that’s a testament to the program,” Mr. Navarra said. “When I was a student, there were five buildings, you couldn’t walk on the grass, and you had to wear a suit and tie! Now, the technology students are learning with is impressive. That’s so important because it will ultimately make things better for patients.”