ALUMNI | LUMEN
25
A
Conversation with
Dr Leslie Lam
By Nicholas Ee and Veanna Ranka
Dato Dr Leslie Lam sits comfortably but speaks with a vibrant voice ; in his own words , he has had an “ extraordinarily successful ” career . This old SJI boy graduated from the Class of 1959 and worked his way up to achieve the brilliant career that he has today . His contribution to cardiology has been revolutionary and a key turning point for the field , both in Singapore and overseas , where Dr Lam has served as a private physician to the Royal Family in Brunei . Age has not slowed down his interest in deepening the understanding of the methods used in cardiology and their effectiveness . We talked to Dr Lam about his career and time in SJI to gain insights into the life of this highly successful cardiologist and find out what has led him to such great heights .
In talking about the traits that led to his success , Dr Lam emphasised the importance of being bold and taking calculated risks . He credited his breakthroughs - such as his trial of a new cardiac monitoring device just last year - to his disposition of being comfortable with risks . He explained that “ even now I ’ m still very adventurous ”. He is also an avid thinker who loves to “ look at something new , analyse it and sit and think about [ it ] for hours at a time .” Dr Lam ’ s sense of pride in his work was evident even over the short period of time that we had to interview him . Yet , curiously , Dr Lam also remarked that his success and talent could be attributed to the fact that he was in the “ right place at the right time ” and could take advantage of the unique opportunities he had to form connections and achieve progress in his career . We were quite inspired by Dr Lam ’ s courage to seize the opportunities when presented with them .
Despite Dr Lam ’ s many achievements , he was also very aware that doctors are not perfect , “ You ’ re not God . Don ’ t play God ”. He acknowledged that doctors must prepare patients for all possible outcomes , including the worst-case scenarios , and that any doctor who thinks too highly of his own abilities will eventually be proved wrong . This statement underpinned Dr Lam ’ s modesty and willingness to improve and do better , even after having such a luminous career .
When we shared about the new coeducation experience in the Senior Section
( Years 5 and 6 ), Dr Lam recalled the all-boys education that he had as an SJI student in the Bras Basah campus . He wished he had girls in his class when he was a student then , since after all , “ society is made out of both genders .” SJI boys from the secondary school section would naturally benefit greatly by learning “ how to mix with girls ”.
Our conversation with Dr Lam impressed upon us his sense of satisfaction in his daily routine and his life . From the career angle , Dr Lam still enjoys the excitement and satisfaction of being able to save lives and holds a deep fondness for the human heart . After all , what the heart does , “ no machine can do ”. In his down time , Dr Lam loves to play golf and is a wine connoisseur . “ I ’ m a firm believer in working hard and playing hard ,” he says . This pointed out the importance of work-life balance in Dr Lam ’ s personal life , balancing his personal priorities of serving his patients while being able to have some time to himself .
We would like to thank Dr Lam for sharing his life as a cardiologist with us and reflecting on his time in SJI . He has certainly inspired us to work hard towards our dreams and aspirations .
This page ( top ): Class of 1959 , Alumnus Dr Leslie Lam
This page ( bottom ): Dr Lam addresses questions from student moderator - Veanna