The Harry Fields Research Associate Professorship

Harry FieldsCreated in 1986 by alumni and friends, as well as the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the Professorship commemorates long-time faculty member Harry Fields, MD (1911–1986). In addition to his academic appointments, Dr. Fields served as Special Assistant to the President for Athletic Affairs from 1965 to 1970 and helped to guide athletics at Penn through a crucial period of growth.

After graduating from the Perelman School of Medicine in 1936, Dr. Fields completed his residency and internship in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. He joined the faculty in 1941. While an undergraduate at Haverford College, Dr. Fields had been on the football and wrestling teams, and he wrestled professionally to help pay for his medical education. He was selected as Special Assistant to the President for Athletic Affairs to help ensure that academic standards were upheld as the University expanded its athletic programs, and he played a key role in establishing the Division of Recreation and Intercollegiate Athletics. In recognition of his contribution to the sport, each year Penn Wrestling presents a deserving team member with the Dr. Harry Fields Award for academic achievement. Dr. Fields received the University’s Alumni Award of Merit in 1980.


 

Lin ZhangCurrent Chairholder

Lin Zhang, MD

Lin Zhang, MD is an Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center and Center for Research on Reproduction and Women’s Health. Dr. Zhang’s area of focus is basic and translational research on cancer genetics and genomics, including non-coding sequences and epigenetic regulation in ovarian and breast cancers. His current research is directed toward understanding how recurrent genomic alterations contribute to tumorigenesis, with a focus on women’s cancers. A graduate of China Medical University School of Medicine, he served as Assistant Lecturer at the Health Science Center of the Peking University from 1996 to 2000, then completed a three-year fellowship at the Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute and Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Penn.