Jerry A. Shields, MD, was born in a rural  Kentucky town and was an all-star football and basketball player. Following his graduation, Dr. Shields attended Murray State University on a football scholarship and then went to the University of Michigan Medical School. 

He was called for duty in Vietnam and was assigned as a Marine battalion surgeon. It was in the jungle of Vietnam that Dr. Shields decided on a career in ophthalmology. After many sleepless nights in a bunker targeted by Viet Cong mortars and small-arms fire, Jerry turned to his bunker mate and announced, “I  want to go into a specialty where I won’t be up all night.” Paging through a booklet about various residencies he carried with him, he saw ophthalmology and thought, “I bet ophthalmologists get to sleep. Case closed.” 

After returning to the United States, he began his residency at  Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia. Following residency, Dr. Shields served on the Wills Eye retina service as a fellow and subsequently studied ophthalmic pathology with another world-famous ophthalmologist, Dr. Lorenz Zimmerman, at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology. 

Dr. Shields soon began establishing a reputation in the budding- field of Ocular Oncology by doing new tests on individuals with pigmented lesions in the fundus. He pioneered the use of radioactive plaques in America to treat intraocular tumors and has saved countless lives through his contributions to the field of Ocular Oncology.  

Dr. Shields is the Director Emeritus of the Wills Eye Hospital Oncology Service. He cares deeply about his patients and teaching and has trained approximately 150 fellows worldwide in ocular oncology. He has authored or co-authored more than 2,000 articles and 575 textbook chapters and written for nearly 2,000 scientific publications. He has also authored or co-authored 14 textbooks. Furthermore, he is well-recognized for his teaching through lectureships and has given 1,600 talks and 80 prestigious named lectures throughout the world.

To honor the legacy of Dr. Jerry A Shields and to support the groundbreaking research the Oncology Service continues, we have founded The Jerry A Shields MD Eye Cancer Fund, built on donations from patients and families, to assure research and progress can continue unfettered. This fund is dedicated to funding research projects within ocular oncology. By focusing on this area, we aim to contribute to advancements that will impact the lives of countless individuals facing similar challenges. Donations to the fund will support researchers, provide necessary resources, and facilitate the development of innovative treatments, therapies, and technologies.