Dr. David Drew Pinsky '80, most commonly known as "Dr. Drew," is a man of many talents who makes it clear that a liberal arts education goes a long way. He is a practicing medical doctor with a board certification in addictions. Pinsky serves as the medical director for the Department of Chemical Dependency Services at Las Encinas Hospital in Pasadena, Calif., a staff member at the Huntington Memorial Hospital, an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC), and the host of the nationally syndicated radio program "Loveline." The program functions in the format of a call-in show that offers medical and relationship advice. Pinsky is also the author of several books, and he can be seen on several television shows and in movies, both in character and guest-starring as himself.

Amherst Prepares

Pinsky was premed and majored in biology while at the College. Thanks to the open curriculum, majoring in biology didn't stop him from dabbling in lots of other fields. "I knew I wanted to go to medical school," said Pinsky. "I took a couple of biology classes and got my ass thoroughly kicked, so I took a semester off trying to find myself and did a lot of art. By the end of the year I had just really confused myself. In a fit of misery, I decided to try the sciences again. The second time was the charm."

He was also exposed to philosophy, which he continues to study to this day. "Hadley Arkes is the professor that most influenced me," he said. "I still study philosophy today because of him. And it's funny, because I did almost none of that in college, but whatever was weak in college, I just kept studying throughout my life."

"The skills that I learned at Amherst made medical school painfully easy," added Pinsky. "I really believe you can't get that anywhere else. The liberal arts education requires you to constantly think and restart your brain. In reality, I blame the College for all the crazy things I do in my life now. I just have to have diversity and creativity. I crave it."

Pinsky attended medical school at USC. It was while he was a student at USC that he began co-hosting "Loveline" on the radio. The show was so successful it became nationally syndicated in 1995 and MTV launched a television version the following year, co-hosted by Pinsky and Adam Carolla. The show lasted on MTV for four years and the radio show still continues today.

MTV wasn't the limit of Pinsky's television career. He has guest-starred on shows such as "Dawson's Creek" and "Crank Yankers" and played father to the Olsen twins in their major motion picture "New York Minute." Pinsky was also involved in acting while at the College. He was in "Godspell," "The Tempest" and played John Procter in Arthur Miller's "The Crucible" at Mt. Holyoke College. "So that acting experience comes in handy once in a while," he said. "Although it isn't that far of a stretch to play myself."

Looking and Giving Back

Pinsky graduated as part of the first coed cohort to attend the College. He returned last October to give a talk in Johnson Chapel. "It feels weird to come back," said Pinsky. "The weirdest thing was how small Johnson Chapel feels when you're not in the audience-when you're the one talking. And there are so many great new buildings on campus. That's not weird, actually, that's just jealousy," he said. "And it's great to see how healthy it is here socially … I mean being in the first coed class, I noticed it was a lot harder for you if you were a woman than it is now. But it was good news if you were a man-it didn't affect me at all." But Pinsky doesn't let the weird feelings and flashbacks from the past affect his dedication to the College. "Whatever they ask me, I'll try and do," he said. "That's how much I loved Amherst."

Pinsky didn't always feel this way about the College. "When I was there in the 1970s, New England was in a very depressed period," he said. "There was only one restaurant-and that was in Northampton. I'm shocked to see how the town of Amherst has developed. I'm not going to lie-I was pretty depressed the first couple years. Junior year in college was when I realized how much I loved this place. I realized Amherst had an amazing student body. Even today, years later, I'm angry with myself because I keep asking myself, 'How could I squander any second of that experience?' I would never want to be 18 or 19 again, but if I could go back to Amherst, I would."

While it may not be possible for Pinsky to relive his Amherst days, his three children-triplets-may attend the College. "I would die if my kids came to Amherst. They love the school as well," he said. "I was pleased to see a lot of alumni kids. That means people really love this school and want to keep it in the family." Like all his other jobs, Pinsky takes his job as a father very seriously. "Everyday I'm dealing with destroyed lives. Any illegal activities I see, I'm so hardcore with. It's not that I'm trying to be a strict father, but I see what these substances do to people."

While Pinsky knew from an early age that he wanted to be a doctor, his resumé goes far beyond just that. Currently, he lives in Pasadena with his wife and three children. He has a reality show coming out in January on VH1 called "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew"-and there's no telling what he will do next. "I honestly think my life is this way because of a liberal arts education," he said. "My favorite thing is not having to do the same thing everyday. I like trying new things."