Carol Lally Shields MD, PhD

Carol L. Shields, MD, FASRS, is director of the Ocular Oncology Service at the Wills Eye Hospital and professor of ophthalmology at the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University. She completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Notre Dame, where she captained the women’s basketball team for 3 years and was named to the Academic All-American Hall of Fame. She attended the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and did her residency at Thomas Jefferson University within the Wills Eye Hospital. In 2023, she received the Theodore Roosevelt Award of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the highest award from the NCAA to an individual who participated in Division I collegiate athletics and ultimately became a distinguished citizen of national reputation based on outstanding life accomplishment.

Dr. Shields is half of the power duo that includes her husband, Dr. Jerry Shields. The couple met at Wills and built their remarkable careers working side by side. They are true pioneers who have had a profound impact on the field of ocular oncology as clinicians and educators, impacting the lives of countless patients and families faced with the diagnosis of serious blinding conditions like retinoblastoma and ocular melanoma. Dr. Shields is a prolific publisher and gifted teacher, and lecturer. She has received innumerable national and international awards, including the ASRS Founders Award, the AAO Life Achievement Award, and was the first woman to receive the prestigious Donders Award. She is a past president of the International Society of Ocular Oncology and the Macula Society.