Saving Sight & Serving Community with Vision: Meet Andrew Lam

Written by Seth Stutman
Photos by Lanae Photo

Sponsored by East Village Place

Published in Longmeadow Neighbors (June 2023)

Surgeon, writer, family man, philanthropist and mansion saver are just some of the superlatives fitting of Dr. Andrew Lam. Over the past 15 years, Andrew, his wife Christina, and their children Alex (19), Audrey (17), Sophia (17), and Daniel (12), have left their mark on Longmeadow, creating a rich history while preserving some of the town’s past.  

Andrew, originally from Springfield, Illinois, and Christina, from New Jersey, met in college at Yale. After graduating, Christina worked as a public school math teacher while Andrew attended medical school at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. After getting married, Christina and Andrew spent a memorable year living in Hawaii during his medical internship and will always treasure their year in paradise before kids and careers.

Andrew’s father, a cardiologist, inspired his drive towards becoming a doctor. Andrew chose ophthalmology because of his love of the eye, and the importance of sight to living a full life. In 2008 he came to Longmeadow and joined New England Retina Consultants, a group of retina specialists who are attending surgeons at Baystate Medical Center and assistant professors at UMass Medical School.  

“We’ve always loved Longmeadow’s welcoming community, excellent schools, and ideal location along 91,” said Andrew, whose family quickly acclimated, utilizing the Longmeadow Newcomer’s Club, Storrs Library and varied school and recreational opportunities.

In the past 15 years, the Lam family has grown and enjoyed all the opportunities our town has to offer. Alex, a college freshman studying mechanical engineering, loved his time as a member of the LongMetal Robotics Team at Longmeadow High School. Audrey, a junior at LHS, plays varsity volleyball and is a cellist with the Springfield Symphony Youth Orchestra. Sophia, also on the volleyball team, devotes many hours to the Key Club and writes for the school newspaper, the Jet Jotter. Daniel, a sixth grader at Williams Middle School, enjoys tennis and spending time with friends. The Lams love participating and supporting all things Longmeadow.

“One of our favorite family memories was watching the 2021 LHS Volleyball Team win the Western Mass Championship as total underdogs, defeating teams in the semifinals and finals that had each crushed them twice during the regular season,” Andrew said.

Andrew highlighted things he thinks make the Longmeadow experience so enriching. “I have valued the high degree of volunteerism I’ve seen, and appreciated that in our schools, clubs and sports are very inclusive,” he said. “For example, you don’t have to be a star athlete to be on a high school sports team and gain the benefits, like making friends and gaining positive self-esteem, that go with that. I think that makes a difference in many kids’ lives and is quite different from the city I grew up in, where sports teams were reserved for only the most outstanding athletes. I’ve found that Massachusetts’ public schools are generally stellar, with academic opportunities that outpace public schools I’ve seen in other parts of the country. We should be very proud of this.”

Andrew has immersed himself in more of Longmeadow than your average resident, having served on the town’s Finance Committee, Center School Council, Historical Commission, and Historic District Commission. He’s also a Trustee of Bay Path University and the chair of its academic committee.

“I’m passionate about history, education, and public finance. I care a lot about preserving Longmeadow’s rich history. Through my own kids’ experiences I have seen how valuable our school system is. And I want to do everything I can to help make sure Longmeadow’s tax dollars are used judiciously,” Andrew said.

In 2018, Andrew helped to organize the preservation and restoration of Longmeadow’s Brewer-Young Mansion, which earned him and his partners Chris Orszulak and Henry Clement a statewide honor for historic preservation: the Paul & Niki Tsongas Award from the organization Preservation Massachusetts.

“I’m grateful to everyone who supported us and trusted our vision to preserve this iconic building for future generations by making it a self-sustaining entity,” Andrew said. “Now I am confident the building will outlive us all. It’s a beautiful edifice and I smile when I drive past it everyday.”

In addition to being a father, organizer, and ophthalmologist, Andrew is also the successful author of four books.  His debut, 2013 memoir Saving Sight, blended anecdotes from his surgical training with the history of the greatest innovations in ophthalmology. Just a year later, his novel about WWII in China, Two Sons of China, won a Foreword Reviews Book of the Year Award. In 2019, his next WWII novel, Repentance, focused on the heroism of Japanese Americans who fought with distinction in Europe while many had families incarcerated in internment camps at home; it was a finalist for the Massachusetts Book Award. His newest book, The Masters of Medicine, was released in April and details the greatest discoveries in medical history.

“I love writing because it’s a creative outlet that allows me to share my passion for history with others,” Andrew said. “I also get to opine on topics that are important to me and have written articles for publications as varied as the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Republican, and the Reminder.”

Having moved to town as a young adult and now having raised a family in Longmeadow, Andrew is optimistic for our collective future. “Watching the kids I coached in soccer, or who grew up alongside my children, become young adults graduating from high school—ready to take on the world—was wonderful,” he said. “It’s amazing to watch these young people mature, and their development is a testament to all the love and dedication so many parents and teachers pour into them.”

To their fellow residents of Longmeadow, Andrew and Christina say, “Thank you for contributing to a community where all are welcome, neighbors care for one another, and everyone pitches in to create an environment where kids have many role models they can look up to.”