Carol Shields

Carol Lally Shields (born July 8, 1957) is an American ophthalmologist who is the Director of the Ocular Oncology Service at Wills Eye Hospital. She is Professor of Ophthalmology at Thomas Jefferson University and consultant at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Early life and undergraduate education Shields was born Carol Lally in Sharon, Pennsylvania on July 8, 1957,

Medical education and career Shields completed medical school at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Following graduation from medical school, she moved to Philadelphia to complete a residency at Thomas Jefferson University at Wills Eye Hospital. She then pursued fellowship training in ocular pathology (1987–1988) and ocular oncology (1988–1989), both at Wills Eye Hospital, as well as a fellowship in orbital and eyelid tumors and reconstruction at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London. After completing her training, she joined the staff at Wills Eye Hospital where she specializes in ophthalmology and eye cancers.

Shields is the coauthor (with Jerry A. Shields, her husband) of a number of texts including: Atlas of Orbital Tumors, Atlas of Intraocular Tumors, and Atlas of Eyelid and Conjunctival Tumors. She is also co-editor of a comprehensive book entitled, "Retinoblastoma", published in 2012.

Currently, Shields heads up the oncology department at the Wills Eye Hospital. Located in Philadelphia, the Wills Eye Hospital sees at least 50% of the 300 children diagnosed with retinoblastoma each year and at least 1/3 of the adults diagnosed with ocular melanoma in the USA. She was voted by her peers to be in the 2014 and 2016 Ophthalmology Top 100 Power List, which comprises a list of the top 100 most influential people in ophthalmology in the world. There have been only two "Top 100" Power Lists – she was on both. She is also the recipient of the Donders Award (2003) given by the Netherlands Ophthalmological Society every 5 years to an ophthalmologist worldwide who has contributed extensively to the field of ophthalmology. She was the first woman ever to receive this award. In 2025, Shields received the AOS Medal, an honor awarded to recognize exceptional contributions to ophthalmology.