Ham's early education came through Brantford Collegiate Institute and Vocational School.
In 1928 and 1929, he doubles played for Canada's Davis Cup team, partnering Jack Wright.
In '28 he and Wright lost 10-8 in the fifth set to the Japanese duo of Tamio Abe and Teizo Toba, as Japan prevailed in this America Zone semi-final tie, 3-1.
In the early 1930s, Ham published his first series of major papers on the formation, maintenance, and destruction of bone within the body.
Along with Harold E. Johns, Ham played a key role in the formation of the Department of Medical Biophysics at the University of Toronto.