Some of you may not know this, but I have a degree in drug science… yes, I know, it’s ironic.
Why I quit pharmacy & became a party professor
Dec 4, 2025
Some of you may not know this, but I have a degree in drug science… yes, I know, it’s ironic.
I was a high performing student. I volunteered in labs, ran for science president, and led multiple research events. I had my eyes set on medical school, following in my dad’s footsteps.
But instead of inspiring me, my pharmaceutical lectures did the opposite. Drugs weren’t addressing root causes. Drugs weren’t helping people change their lifestyle. Drugs rarely enhanced quality of life.
So instead of applying to med school, I took on a few internships—my brief stint in the corporate world. I worked at two biotech companies and quickly realized I wasn’t built for office life.
My supervisor did give me one great piece of advice: “Jacques, show how fun you are second. Show how competent you are first.”
After finishing four months at a medical valve company, I returned to my degree with a clearer head.
I knew I wasn’t interested in medicine; I was interested in lifestyle medicine. So I contacted the School of Public Health and begged them to let me take their graduate courses.
Somehow, they let me in. And that was the beginning of the end of my medical career.
In those public health courses, I learned how smoking rates were reduced. I learned about the complexity of substance-use disorder. I learned about lifestyle interventions and what truly improves well-being.
During my final pharmacology exam—three hours of grueling writing—I tossed my papers in the air, and my professors laughed. That was it. I was done.
Shortly after, I launched a Facebook page called Party4Health and began my work in social norms re-engineering.
And to this day, I’m still doing it: transforming how humans socialize and making it healthier.
Despite me quitting the medical path, my dad, a retired public health officer, couldn’t be happier.
“Jacques, what you’re talking about are the social determinants of health,” he reminds me.
Love you, Dad.
