Kennedy CHC Announces Recipients of 2019 Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Awards

Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center Honors Dr. Samuel Wong and MCPHS University

Eastern Bank’s Chairman and CEO, Bob Rivers, is Keynote Speaker

The Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center (Kennedy CHC) will be presenting its 2019 Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Awards to: Samuel Wong, PhD, Director of Public Health in the City of Framingham, and the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. Bob Rivers, Chairman and CEO of Eastern Bank, will be the keynote speaker.

Awardee Profiles

Dr. Samuel Wong is a passionate public health practitioner; he is currently the Director of Public Health for the City of Framingham and the President of the Massachusetts Health Officers Association.  Dr. Wong is a scholar with the Northeast Public Health Leadership Institute and earned his graduate degrees from the University of Rhode Island.  He is a gubernatorial appointed Council Member for both the Metropolitan Area Planning Council and the Massachusetts Food Policy Council and serves on many statewide committees including the Special Commission on Local & Regional Health, Community Advisory Board of Harvard Catalyst, and Massachusetts Cancer Research Roundtable. Prior to these roles, Dr. Wong served as the Director of Public & Community Health Services for the Town of Hudson, the Chair of the MetroWest Prevention & Wellness Partnership, and on the West Boylston Board of Health.

Dr. Wong has been recognized a number of times through the years for his work in public health. He has been the recipient of a number of state and regional awards, including the Deborah Blumer Community Health Leadership Award from the MetroWest Health Foundation and the John D. Crowley Award from the Massachusetts Health Officers Associations.

Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences is a valuable partner to Kennedy CHC. MCPHS University’s commitment to educate future healthcare leaders is apparent through their focus on healthcare and broad portfolio of undergraduate and graduate healthcare programs. MCPHS University provides students with an innovative, interprofessional collaborative education that better prepares them for the integrative team-based models of today’s healthcare system.

Accepting the award on behalf of MCPHS University will be Charles F. Monahan, Jr., MCPHS University President and a 1962 graduate of the University with a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy.  He became the fifth president of MCPHS University in 1997 after 35 years as a practicing pharmacist and successful business man.  Prior to being appointed President, Mr. Monahan served as a member of the University’s Board of Trustees for eighteen years, six of which he spent as the Chairman of the Board.

A 37-year community banker who started his career as a teller, Bob Rivers is Chair and CEO of Eastern Bank, America’s oldest and largest mutual bank and the largest independent community bank headquartered in Massachusetts with $11 billion in assets and over 120 locations. He is also Chair of the Massachusetts Business Roundtable and The Dimock Center. 

Bob is involved extensively in the community, serving on the Board of Directors of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, Jobs for Mass, and The Lowell Plan. He also is a member of the Board of Trustees of Stonehill College, the Board of Corporators of Lowell General Hospital, the Advisory Boards of the Lawrence Partnership and JFK Library Foundation, and is a member of the City of Boston’s Women’s Workforce Council, in addition to providing support and guidance to numerous other non-profit organizations. Bob has been named among the Top 10 “Most Influential People in Boston” by Boston Magazine, and to the Boston Business Journal Power 50 list for the last three years.

Named after the late Senator Robert F. Kennedy, Bob’s passion for advocating for social justice causes and sustainability issues is the result of a personal and professional journey that began early in his life. Bob has been recognized by many organizations for his work in championing diversity and social justice, including The Boston Globe, The Partnership, Get Konnected!, Color Magazine, the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA), the Asian American Civic Association (AACA), Association of Latino Professionals For America (ALPFA), El Planeta, the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition, The Theater Offensive, and MassINC.