Jerry A. Shields, M.D.

Jerry A. Shields, M.D. is Emeritus Director of the Ocular Oncology Service at Wills Eye Hospital and Professor of Ophthalmology at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. He was born in Pride Station, Union County Kentucky in 1937 He was the youngest of 8 children and attended Sturgis High School. He graduated from Murray State in 1960 and was president of his freshman and sophomore classes very active at Murray. He graduated from the University of Michigan Medical School in 1964 and then completed an internship at Denver General Hospital in Colorado. After that he then served for one year as a Battalion Surgeon with the United States Marine Corps in Vietnam and a year with the US Navy in Europe mainly in Naples Italy. He was a resident in ophthalmology at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia and also completed fellowships in ophthalmic pathology at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Washington DC and a year doing retinal surgery at Wills Eye Hospital. In 1974 he establish the Ocular Oncology Service at Wills Eye Hospital. For more than 40 years, Dr. Shields has been active in the care of patients with cancers of the eyelids, conjunctiva, intraocular structures, and orbit and has pioneered new methods of diagnosis and treatment of eye cancers and related conditions.

He has authored or co-authored 1512 articles in peer reviewed journals and many textbook chapters for a total of 1980 scientific publications. He has authored or co-authored 13 textbooks including the highly popular Atlas of Intraocular Tumors and the Atlas of Eyelid, Conjunctiva, and Orbital Tumors. He has given 1560 national and international lectures including 82 prestigious named lectures. In 2012, he was honored by the establishment of the Jerry A. Shields Lecture given annually at the annual meeting of the Asian Pacific Society of Ophthalmology.

His greatest academic honor was in March 2013 when he received the prestigious National Physician of the year award (named the top doctor in America) for Clinical Excellence by Castle Connolly Medical LTD , NY, NY. (One of 3 recipients).He was 2014 recipient of the annual Laureate Award at the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO). This is most prestigious honor given to one ophthalmologist annually by the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Dr. Shields has served on editorial boards for 14 scientific journals.He was an organizer and first president of the International Society of Ocular Oncology, president of the Macula Society and president of the Ophthalmic Club of Philadelphia. He was recent recipient of and endowed Chair at Wills Eye Hospital at Thomas Jefferson University.

Dr. Shields is married to Dr. Carol L. Shields M.D. who trained with him in ocular oncology. She has also made many major scientific contributions and has received numerous academic honors and awards and is recognized internationally for her numerous achievements. They have 7 wonderful children ranging from 30 to 19 years of age as of 2018.

Financial disclosure: Dr. Shields does not have any affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization.