Anthony (Tony) Fields
Anthony Fields was born in Barbados and attended Cambridge University. He came to Canada in 1968 and worked in Hamilton, Ontario, before heading west to the University of Alberta.He studied zoology before turning to medicine, from which he graduated in 1974. He had a year-long internship at the Royal Alexandra Hospital, and subsequently moved back to Ontario, this time to Toronto where he specialized in internal medicine. In Ontario, he completed residencies at St Michael's Hospital and the Princess Margaret Hospital.
Fields returned to Edmonton in 1980 to work at both the Cross Cancer Institute and the Faculty of Medicine. As vice-president of Medical Affairs and Community Oncology at the Alberta Cancer Board and a former director of Edmonton's Cross Cancer Institute, he has created innovative treatment programs and influenced cancer control policy at the provincial and federal levels.
In 2002, Fields was named president of the National Cancer Institute of Canada (NCIC), one of the country's most influential bodies funding cancer research, and he serves as a member of the Council of the Canadian Strategy for Cancer Control.
While fulfilling his extensive administrative duties, Fields remains active in cancer research and practises as an oncologist, treating patients with gastrointestinal malignancies. He is regarded as a motivational authority in cancer control, inspiring a generation of medical students and residents with his energy, enthusiasm, and dedication. To his patients, Fields is best known and admired for his endless supply of compassion and caring.
Fields is a 2003 recipient of the University of Alberta Alumni Association's Distinguished Alumni Award.