Driven to pursue pharmaceutical science in light of his formative love for chemistry and a willingness to help others, Joel Seth Aronson retired in 2019 after spending over 45 years as a clinical pharmacy specialist. Working in various hospital settings, he most recently worked at the Providence VA Medical Center as a clinical pharmacy specialist between 2011 and 2019, having also worked at the Providence VA Medical Center as a staff hospital pharmacist beginning in 2004. During his tenure at the Providence VA Medical Center, Mr. Aronson specialized in the dispensing of medication in inpatient settings, as well as counseling veterans and working in collaboration with hospital pharmacy administrators to coordinate pharmacist evening and weekend schedules. Moreover, he lent his time and expertise to training pharmacy students, pharmacy residents and pharmacy technicians.
Earlier, Mr. Aronson worked at the Boston City Hospital beginning in 1974, remaining on the hospital’s staff after its merger with the Boston University Medical Center when it became the Boston Medical Center until his departure in 2002. Before being employed at the Providence VA Medical Center, Mr. Aronson, in 2003, worked as a part-time pharmacist at the Family Med Pharmacy, the Costco Pharmacy, CVS ProCare and Target Pharmacy.
Mr. Aronson draws upon a Bachelor of Science in pharmacy from the College of Pharmacy at the University of Louisiana at Monroe, which he obtained in 1972. To obtain his pharmacy licenses in Louisiana, Massachusetts and Florida, he worked in an Eckerd Drug pharmacy warehouse, at Steven’s Pharmacy as a pharmacy intern and at Brookline Pharmacy as a pharmacy graduate intern. Over the course of his longstanding career, Mr. Aronson was revered by patients and hospital staff members alike and was recognized for his dedication to patient care with an I Care Leadership Award pin from the United States Department for Veterans Affairs. He attributes much of his success to his compassionate nature, as well as his affinity for listening to the needs of his patients.
Among his many career achievements, Mr. Aronson is especially proud of helping the pharmacy management team at the Providence VA Medical Center in relation to scheduling evening and weekend shifts for the pharmacists, as well as ensuring that the veterans for whom they cared were properly accommodated. He most enjoyed interacting with the veterans who visited the Providence VA Medical Center, especially when they were able to receive their medications and recover from their medical conditions. Mr. Aronson recalls one winter in February 1978 when a blizzard hit the Boston region. Despite the halt of buses and trains into the city, he still dedicated himself to his work and walked from his apartment in Revere, Massachusetts, through the deep snow to reach the Boston City Hospital. For this achievement, he was honored with a commendation. Other highlights of Mr. Aronson’s career include being elected as a union shop steward to represent the pharmacy staff at both Boston City Hospital and Boston Medical Center and helping prevent an attempted armed robbery of narcotics from the pharmacy at Boston City Hospital.
As a testament to his resounding success, Mr. Aronson has been honored with a myriad of honors from Marquis Who’s Who. Previously recognized as a Worldwide Humanitarian, Industry Leader and Top Professional, he was also featured in American Way Magazine, Hemispheres Magazine, Fortune Magazine, Forbes Magazine, Entrepreneur Magazine and The Wall Street Journal, as well as interviewed by Star Jones for “The Star Treatment.” Looking forward, Mr. Aronson intends to continue enjoying his retirement.