MCPHS Worcester Turns 25

A quarter-century of growth, innovation, and health education in the Heart of the Commonwealth.

Worcester has long been a city of firsts—rocket fuel, the Smiley face, and the first mass-produced Valentine’s Day card among them. In 2000, it added another milestone when MCPHS planted its second campus in the heart of downtown.

What began with a single building and a vision for growth has, in 25 years, evolved into a thriving hub of more than 2,000 students, more than 15 academic programs, and a lasting partnership with the region’s healthcare community.

Expanding Footprint

The University’s expansion into Worcester was driven by necessity. “We can’t grow in Boston,” said then-MCPHS president Charles Monahan. “There isn’t a square foot to rent or buy.”

A Worcester native, Monahan saw potential in familiar territory. New England’s second-largest city already supported a thriving college community of 35,000 students, with institutions like Assumption College and WPI. The city also boasted a strong cultural foundation of museums, restaurants, and sports teams. Most importantly, there was room to grow.

The first purchase, 19 Foster Street, delivered classrooms, an auditorium, STEM and computer labs, a library, student lounge, and study areas. Two more Foster Street buildings followed and then a former Crowne Plaza Hotel and the Thomas Henry Borysek Living and Learning Center, with residences, a student center, and later, the School of Optometry.

Growth continued with the opening of the School of Physical Therapy and the purchase of more properties. Enrollment grew along with the expanding footprint: nearly 600 students in 2007, and more than 1,100 by 2012.

The University has continued to acquire buildings in Worcester over the last 25 years, with the most recent purchase in 2024.

Hands-On Experience

MCPHS Worcester needed a robust medical infrastructure to thrive, supporting clinical rotations across a wide range of programs that includes Acupuncture, Dental Hygiene, Diagnostic Medical Sonography (including Echocardiography), Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Optometry, Pharmaceutics, Pharmacology, Physical Therapy, and Physician Assistant Studies.

UMass Memorial Medical Center and St. Vincent Hospital, whose emergency department alone sees more than 55,000 visits annually, provided key partnerships. Like in Boston, MCPHS developed its own facilities to give students hands-on experience while serving the local community.

The School of Optometry’s Eye and Vision Center is a prime example. Providing daily care to patients, the center is staffed by student interns and board-certified optometrists who serve double duty as faculty. The Forsyth Dental Hygiene Clinic runs a second location to support Worcester students in the fast-track bachelor’s program, and the New England School of Acupuncture, which joined MCPHS in 2016, runs its training and treatment clinic there as well. (A second NESA clinic is opening in Boston this fall.)

Local Community Ties

Since its inception, MCPHS Worcester has committed to serving the local community. Students and faculty regularly provide outreach across the city, supporting veterans, promoting wellness among seniors, and introducing younger generations to healthcare careers.

In October 2024, older adults from the community were invited to the MCPHS campus to learn strategies for preventing falls. Students from the Doctor of Optometry, Doctor of Pharmacy, and Doctor of Physical Therapy programs presented ways to decrease falls and injury by focusing on visual and medication concerns, as well as mobility. The program was recognized nationally for excellence in community empowerment and education.

“This outreach provides community members with high-quality, low-cost healthcare and helps our students become excellent providers through hands-on experience with patients,” says Dr. Jessica Rydingsward, an Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy.

MCPHS Worcester is also impacting its youngest neighbors. For the past 10 years, sixth graders from Jacob Hiatt Magnet School have been visiting campus for a day of STEM learning. MCPHS students and faculty run hands-on activities across disciplines, from splinting wrists and listening through stethoscopes to viewing echocardiograms and using a slit lamp to examine each other’s eyeballs.

Looking at her friend’s eyeball up close, Camila Gutierrez said, “I see her eyelashes and the colored part. That’s so cool.”

A Worcester campus celebration will be held on Thursday, September 4, and all alumni, faculty, and staff are invited. Find more event information online.

Explore more stories from MCPHS Worcester:

• Students support vets at Worcester stand down

• Sixth graders explore healthcare fields at MCPHS Worcester

• Falls awareness activity receives national honor for IPE excellence

• Teaching through transformation: Amy Hull’s 30+ years at NESA

• Eyes on service: Optometry students bring care to rural Tennessee families