This Is MCPHS: 'Just Making Them Smile Really Helps'

Undergraduate student Anthony shares his view from the heart of Boston's hospitals.

This article was originally written for MCPHS by Maaha Rafique.

While earning his degree at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS), Anthony Massoud has been at the heart of Boston’s hospitals. From oncology units to emergency calls, he has witnessed the highs and lows of patient care—experience that is uncommon for an undergraduate, and central to the doctor he hopes to become.

Name: Anthony Massoud
Degree: Medical and Molecular Biology ’26
Hometown: Boston

From Boston to Lebanon—and back again

Born in Boston, Massoud grew up in Lebanon and returned to the city to attend MCPHS. He considered other fields, including mechanical engineering, but ultimately chose biology with a clear goal: medical school. Along the way, he has also been building community on campus as co-president of the Middle Eastern and North African Arabs Association. He is bilingual, speaking both Arabic and English.

Learning medicine in real time

Massoud’s education extends beyond the classroom. He conducts lab research in collaboration with physicians at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Boston Children’s Hospital, and he is preparing to take the MCAT this spring as he plans for the next step in his training.

Hands-on care, one patient at a time

Service has been a constant thread in Massoud’s story. He previously volunteered with Hands-On Care at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, where he provided hand massages to patients undergoing chemotherapy. Today, he volunteers as a patient transporter at Massachusetts General Hospital and also serves as an EMT—roles that put him face-to-face with patients and families on some of their hardest days.

Notable quote

“Studying biology gave me a look into both the lab and the medical world to help me understand which path I really wanted to take.”

Candid conversation: reflections and advice

What are your goals for after graduation?

In the lab I’m working in with Dr. Benjamin Freedman at Beth Israel, we’re studying why so many patients develop pain after surgery for disc herniation. Many people end up needing additional surgery, and I’m researching ways to use biomedical tissue to help prevent that. The work is giving me hands-on experience in orthopedics, a field I hope to pursue in the future. I’m also planning to take the MCAT and apply to medical school, ideally in Boston.

What’s the most important thing you’ve learned from your volunteer experience?

One of the biggest lessons I learned from volunteering is that sometimes less is more. A lot of patients I’ve met are very sick, but a warm blanket or a nice conversation helps them a lot, sometimes even more than medication. In a medical setting, patients can get frustrated, and sometimes they don’t know what's going on. So just making them smile really helps. I’ve gotten more confident dealing with patients overall.

What’s something at MCPHS you think more people should know about?

I struggled a lot with English when I got here, and Supplemental Instruction tutoring helped a lot. The writing center also helped me pass my English courses. There are a lot of resources, and because classes are small, you can really connect with your professors, and they can connect you to things that can help if you need it.

What do you like the most about living in Boston?

Definitely not the weather. But my favorite thing is that it’s very walkable and easy to get around. The T is really convenient too. And Boston's great for, of course, all the hospitals nearby, but I love the local restaurants. There’s a lot of diversity in the food. It’s great that you have international students like me coming from all around the world, and they can eat food that makes them feel at home.