August 2024
Meet Dr. Austin Lam, a third-year resident in the Research Track of UBC Psychiatry’s Postgraduate Residency Program. He completed his undergraduate medical education at the University of Toronto, Temerty Faculty of Medicine.
Can you tell us a little about yourself and your background?
I grew up in Coquitlam right behind the Riverview Hospital grounds (which may have had an inadvertent impact on my career pathway). I left Vancouver for Montreal for my undergraduate studies at McGill in psychology and philosophy, followed by medical school at the University of Toronto. My family is based in Vancouver and I’m very happy to be back home.
What’s your favourite part about training the track that you’re in?
I’m in the Research Track and it’s amazing to be part of a group of colleagues with diverse interests but who share an underlying drive to advance the state of the field through scientific and scholarly efforts. For myself personally, I am grateful for the opportunity to be back working with my long-time mentor and research supervisor, Dr. Tonia Nicholls, on several projects in my area of interest in forensic mental health.
What has surprised you about psychiatry along the way? Are there any things you’ve either encountered or learned that you would not have expected?
The kaleidoscopic variations of psychopathology will always inspire for me a sense of awe and wonderment, which I don’t think I fully appreciated prior to residency. I never know what variation will present itself in front of me until I meet the patient, and it’s always interesting.
Who have been some inspirational or encouraging mentors along the way, personally or professionally?
I have been immensely lucky with the mentors I have had along my training journey, including my current research supervisor, Dr. Tonia Nicholls, and co-supervisor, Dr. Christian Schütz. It was at Dr. Nicholls’ lab where I first was exposed to and became interested in forensic psychiatry when I volunteered with her fresh out of my first undergraduate year. Subsequently, in Toronto, I had the chance to continue forensic research with Drs. Sandy Simpson and Stephanie Penney at CAMH, to whom I am grateful for their teaching and generosity. Dr. Simpson, in particular, is an inspiring role model in advancing recovery in forensic mental heath. It’s always nice to be able to catch up with my mentors at conferences!
What excites you about the future of your field?
In short, everything! Specifically, I look forward to seeing psychiatry’s ever stronger adoption of measurement-based care that can be tied to outcome metrics as part of a living and growing system that incorporates research as part of continuous clinical improvement, as opposed to siloing research from clinical work.
What are your interests or hobbies outside of work?
Outside of work, I maintain my interest in the humanities by reading philosophy, history, poetry, and literature. Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor is a personal favourite, and I am currently reading his new book, Cosmic Connections: Poetry in the Age of Disenchantment. I do a bit of writing on the side too, with essays and poems published in various outlets as a way of reflection and expression. You might also see me in the audience at the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver Opera, or Ballet BC.
