About Me

Tuan T. Lam, MD dreamed of becoming an astronomer in high school, as he has always been fascinated by our infinite universe. Throughout his higher education, however, he turned his thoughts from the stars towards a profession that also focused heavily on life and existence - medicine. His medical interests in college and medical school shifted from immunology to heart transplants to cardiothoracic surgery, where he has remained ever since. 

It is an honor and a privilege to be entrusted with the responsibility to take care of the hearts of the sick. It is very gratifying to mend their hearts and make a difference in their lives. I treat every patient with compassionate care, from preoperative planning and meticulous surgical techniques to postoperative care. I want to ensure they get the best care possible.

Dr. Lam spent the first ten years of his life in Vietnam with his family. Shortly after the Vietnam War, he escaped the country on a fishing boat with his siblings and grandmother, and managed to reach the United States after a perilous overseas journey, leaving their parents behind. Seven years later, young Tuan graduated from high school as valedictorian and was accepted at Yale College. 

During his first year at Yale, young Dr. Lam often worried about his family situation. His older sister was away at college, and two younger siblings were living with his weary father, who arrived in the United States after his children and their grandmother had immigrated. He remembers spending countless nights hoping things would improve, but soon adapted to his new life at Yale College and was able to concentrate on his studies. When Dr. Lam entered into his junior year at Yale, he was admitted to the combined BS/MS program and devoted one and a half years to investigating a Lyme disease vaccine. During that same year, he was also accepted to the early Flex/Med program at John's Hopkins and found out that his mother had finally arrived in America. He flew home from Yale immediately following graduation to see her again for the first time since he was ten years old, and later described the reunion as the best graduation gift he could have received. 

Now that his family was together again, Dr. Lam felt much more at ease and could focus on his career in medicine. Due to a growing interest in surgery and immunology, he applied for and received a one-year Howard Hughes Fellowship to do xenotransplantation research after his second year at Johns Hopkins. Overall, his research year was productive and rewarding, as it solidified his intellectual interest in thoracic organ transplantation and opened his eyes to the exciting field of cardiothoracic surgery. After Hopkins, he spent two years at the Medical College of Virginia general surgery residency program, but decided to return home to the west coast to care for his ailing grandmother. He would eventually spend three years at Stanford University doing additional xenotransplantation research and participating in community activities. 

Outside of the lab, Dr. Lam became the co-organizer of a college conference hosted at Stanford that was attended by over two hundred Vietnamese American high school students and their parents. He also served as chairman of a scholarship program for exceptional high school students who demonstrated a combination of high academic achievement and strong involvement in the Vietnamese American community. Dr. Lam also participated in the California AIDSRIDE, where he spent one week with hundreds of other cyclists riding from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Today, he still enjoys cycling and rides in his free time as much as he can. 

As a specialist, Dr. Lam may not be selected as a primary care physician. Dr. Lam accepts patients age 18 and over.

Languages

English, Chinese, Vietnamese

Provider Specialty

Cardiothoracic - Thoracic Surgery

Education

Medical Education

Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Internship

Medical College of Virginia Hospitals

Residency

UC San Francisco Medical Center

Fellowship

Stanford University School of Medicine

Fellowship

University of Southern California - LA County Medical Center

Locations & Affiliations

Locations

MemorialCare Cardiothoracic Surgery - Orange Coast Medical Center (Health and Wellness Pavilion)

18035 Brookhurst Street

Suite 1300

Fountain Valley, CA

Office: (657) 241-9440

MemorialCare Cardiothoracic Surgery - Saddleback Medical Center (Medical Office Tower)

24411 Health Center Drive

Suite 680

Laguna Hills, CA

Office: (949) 268-4568

Insurances Accepted

Anthem Commercial HMO
Anthem Vivity HMO
Anthem PPO
BlueShield Commercial HMO
Blue Shield PPO
BlueShield Medicare Advantage HMO
Cigna Commercial HMO
Cigna PPO
Health Net Commercial HMO
Health Net PPO
Health Net Medicare Advantage HMO
Humana PPO
Humana Medicare Advantage HMO
MultiPlan/PHCS
SCAN Medicare Advantage HMO
TriCare West(HN)/TriWest Healthcare(BSC)
United HealthCare PPO
UHC Commercial HMO
UHC AARP Medicare Advantage HMO
Aetna PPO
Aetna Commercial HMO
Aetna Commercial HMO (GNP)
Anthem Commercial HMO (GNP)
Anthem Vivity HMO (GNP)
BlueShield Commercial HMO (GNP)
BlueShield Medicare Advantage HMO (GNP)
Cigna Commercial HMO (GNP)
Health Net Commercial HMO (GNP)
Humana Medicare Advantage HMO (GNP)
SCAN Medicare Advantage HMO (GNP)
UHC Commercial HMO (GNP)
UHC AARP Medicare Advantage HMO (GNP)
Cigna Commercial HMO (GNP)
Anthem Pathway HMO
Cigna Value/Select HMO (GNP)
UHC AARP Medicare Advantage HMO (GNP)
Clever Care Medicare Advantage HMO
Aetna Commercial HMO (GNP)
Alignment Medicare Advantage HMO
Cigna Value/Select HMO
Aetna Commercial HMO (GNP)
BlueShield Trio Commercial HMO
UHC Harmony Commercial HMO (GNP)
UHC Harmony Commercial HMO
UHC Harmony Commercial HMO (GNP)
Centivo ACO
Aetna Medicare Advantage HMO (GNP)
Aetna Medicare Advantage HMO