Vincent Lam
Emergency Physician & Award-Winning Author
It was while working as a doctor on board an Arctic cruise ship that Dr. Vincent Lam had a serendipitous encounter with Canadian literary icon Margaret Atwood. He confessed to her that he had always dreamed of being a writer and was working on his first book. Seeing great potential in his work, Atwood decided to mentor Dr. Lam; his award-winning book, Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures was published shortly after. In addition to writing and researching, Dr. Lam continues to practice emergency medicine in Toronto. Leading an inspired life, Dr. Lam’s perseverance and determination prove that success is a matter of staying motivated and holding onto the aspirations of your heart.
For Dr. Vincent Lam, becoming a doctor and caring for patients has been the ultimate form of character study. He lives in the worlds of both medicine and writing, with each enriching the other.
It was while working as a doctor on board an Arctic cruise ship that Dr. Lam had a serendipitous encounter with Canadian literary icon Margaret Atwood. He confessed to her that he had always dreamed of being a writer and was working on his first book. Atwood agreed to read some of his short stories. Seeing great potential in his work, Atwood decided to mentor Dr. Lam, and soon brought his short stories to Doubleday Canada, who published Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures in 2006.
This collection of twelve interwoven short stories gives an eye-opening account of what it means to be a doctor. Going on to win the Scotiabank Giller Prize, Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures was the first debut work to ever win the prize. It also confirmed Dr. Lam's place in Canadian literature, as the 32 year-old recipient became the youngest writer to ever win the award. Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures was adapted into a television series that premiered in 2010.
Raised in Ottawa, Dr. Lam did his medical training in Toronto, where he now practices emergency medicine. His past work in medicine also includes international air evacuation work and expedition medicine on Arctic and Antarctic ships.
Dr. Lam has had extensive experience working on the front lines of healthcare, and was an emergency physician during the Toronto SARS epidemic of 2003. Drawing from his experience, he co-authored his second book, The Flu Pandemic and You. This book describes the history of influenza pandemics, and assesses the context for which the current threat exists. It provides a lucid, frank explanation of what to expect and how to prepare for the next influenza pandemic. Dr. Lam’s latest book, Extraordinary Canadians - Tommy Douglas, sheds light on the life of the man who has been deemed the “Father of Medicare."
Dr. Lam's non-fiction writing has appeared in The Globe and Mail, The National Post, The Toronto Star, Toronto Life Magazine and The New York Times.
Dr. Lam's parents immigrated to Canada from the expatriate Chinese community of Vietnam, raising a son who would not only become a regarded emergency room doctor, but also one of Canada's most renowned writers. Dr. Lam leads an inspired life; his perseverance and determination prove that success is a matter of staying motivated and holding onto the aspirations of your heart. He is proof that if you never let go of your dreams anything is possible.
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1. Living Two Lives: From Emergency Room Physician to Award-Winning Writer
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2. Storytelling: The Shared Heart of Medicine and Literature
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September 2006The Flu Pandemic and You: A Canadian Guide
An essential survival guide – both to pandemic influenza, and to the hype surrounding it. Written by an emergency physician and a public health physician, The Flu Pandemic and You is a frank and clear book about how to prepare for the next influenza pandemic, and how to understand the broader context in which the threat exists. With cool heads and great professional expertise, the authors describe the history of influenza pandemics, the scientific reasons for the current health concern, the effects a pandemic would have, and the steps governments are likely to take when, not if, it hits. Drs. Lam and Lee carefully explain how readers can assess their level of risk, and set out practical advice on how an individual can prepare for a pandemic and maximize their chances of living through it.
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January 2006Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures
Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures welcomes readers into a world where the most mundane events can quickly become life or death. By following four young medical students and physicians – Ming, Fitz, Sri and Chen – this debut collection from 2006 Scotiabank Giller Prize winner Vincent Lam is a riveting, eye-opening account of what it means to be a doctor. Deftly navigating his way through 12 interwoven short stories, the author explores the characters’ relationships with each other, their patients, and their careers. Lam draws on his own experience as an emergency room physician and shares an insider’s perspective on the fears, frustrations, and responsibilities linked with one of society’s most highly regarded occupations.
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