ʴDzٱ:January 28, 2025
:Emily Brown
Dr. Deanna Field’s (MD’05) journey in medicine began at an early age. Growing up around her mother’s daycare, Dr. Field had a natural affinity for helping children. Initially, she wanted to become a pediatrician.
“I was excellent in sciences and school … so everyone who knew me, all my teachers, just told me to go into medicine,” she remembers.
As life unfolded, Deanna found her true calling in family medicine, a career that allowed her to care for people across all ages and stages of life.
Shepherding the North Nova Family Medicine Residency Program
Returning to her hometown of Truro, Nova Scotia, after completing her family medicine residency in Moncton, Dr. Field became the inaugural Site Director of 91Ƶ Faculty of Medicine’s North Nova Family Medicine Residency Program. The program offers integrated, competency-based training centered on family medicine in communities from Antigonish through New Glasgow and Truro and north to Cumberland and Amherst.
As Site Director, Dr. Field worked tirelessly to establish and expand the program.
“We’ve grown from four residents when we first started, to 22 residents right now,” she says.
Dr. Field’s leadership has been instrumental in securing funding for new teaching facilities and bringing more than 100 physicians on board as educators. Her efforts extended beyond recruitment, as she developed a strong curriculum and advocated for physician wellness, ensuring a supportive learning environment.
One of her most significant achievements has been her involvement in 91Ƶ Medical School's Rural Week program for the Northern Zone. Her work in this program has provided valuable exposure to not only rural medicine learners but also for countless medical students and residents over the past 18 years. As a mentor, she has guided not only future family doctors but also nurse practitioners and allied healthcare workers, instilling in them a sense of community service and resilience. Most days Dr. Field has a student and often has multiple learners under her guidance which has become part of her work on a daily basis.
Doctor by day, coach by night
Dr. Field’s contributions reach beyond the clinical and academic spheres into the heart of her community. She has coached soccer and volleyball for nearly 15 years, a role that brings balance and joy to her busy life.
“You go coach and those kids … they’re enjoying themselves so much, and you’re a big part of their lives,” she says.
Balancing her demanding career with her roles as a mother and a coach, Dr. Field embodies the work ethic her parents instilled in her from a young age.
Today, Dr. Field is happy she chose family medicine, which she believes is a profound privilege to practice.
"It’s amazing to be part of people’s lives in that way,” she says. “You get to hold people’s hands through hard parts of their lives.”
With a passion for patient care, a commitment to rural medicine, and a dedication to medical education, Dr. Field is a deserving recipient of the Family Physician of the Year Award.
91Ƶ the Family Physician of the Year award
The Family Physician of the Year Award recognizes a family physician who consistently contributes significantly to their medical practice and community. The award highlights family physicians who provide extraordinary medical care, set an exceptional example in the practice of family medicine, teach medical students and residents, and advocate for the health of their community.