‘Your Setbacks Can Become Your Strength’: Megan Brown Inspires Graduates

Pfizer executive and alum Megan Brown shares lessons on resilience, dedication, and turning setbacks into opportunities.

Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS) graduates received a deeply personal message about resilience, hardship, and purpose from Commencement speaker Megan R. Brown during the University’s May 7 afternoon ceremony in Boston.

Brown, a Pfizer oncology executive and MCPHS Manchester alum, urged the Class of 2026 to embrace setbacks and lean on relationships as they begin careers in healthcare.

Drawing on her experience serving in Baghdad during Operation Iraqi Freedom and her breast cancer diagnosis at age 27 while in pharmacy school, Brown shared how adversity reshaped her career.

“The white coat came off and the hospital gown went on,” Brown said, describing the moment she shifted from studying oncology to becoming a patient herself.

Her speech centered on three lessons: dedication, resilience and relationships, telling graduates that healthcare careers are built through persistence, teamwork, and compassion.

Watch the full speech to hear why Brown says setbacks can become strength.