(OK, this is clearly not Vincent, but some cute Lam fans I found on Flickr.)
Recently, I went to a very cool conference in Toronto. It was called Changing the World, and it was put on by a group of students from Queen’s University. The conference was for high school and university students and it was based on the very popular TED talks, where each presenter has 18 minutes to present his or her big idea to the crowd.
I enjoyed all of the talks, but I think my favorite was the lecture given by Vincent Lam. Vincent is an emergency room doctor, and is also a writer. In 2006, he won the Giller prize for his novel Bloodletting and Other Miraculous Cures.
Vincent gave a great talk about why you shouldn’t box yourself into one profession. He told the crowd about why he wanted to be a doctor and a writer and that both of those jobs have one important skill in commom: storytelling.
We’re airing a shortened version of Vincent’s talk on today’s episode of Spark, but we’re posting the entire lecture below, or you can download the MP3. (You’ll just have to close your eyes and pretend to see the slides he refers to in his presentation!)
Play audio:
I’m going to send this link to a couple of my doctor friends and a few people I know who are pondering their career choices. Maybe it will be the little bit of inspiration they’re looking for…
Vincent Lam is a great speaker!
@Jenny,
I found him very inspiring!