Carol Shields, MD

If you could give your younger self one piece of career advice, what would it be?

Be happy and don’t worry about the world around you. All will be well.

Sometimes we take ourselves too seriously and I think a good piece of advice would be to relax, enjoy the day, be thankful for what you have, know that you can’t do everything, and just simply be happy. In the long run, everything will turn out OK. I think this is good advice for young people entering the field so they will have a level of satisfaction for their career and their day-to-day work.

Who has been a mentor or role model in your career, and what is the most impactful advice they gave you?

There have been several mentors in my career as I’ve always regarded those senior to me to serve as a mentor or leader of my path for me. I have learned from so many people over the years including staff doctors, fellows, residents, technicians, front desk clerks, office managers, and many more. I tend to respect those around me and listen to their advice and try to incorporate it into my daily work.

I would have to say that perhaps my mentorship began even back in grade school and high school with my mother and father who set a good example, and maintained high expectations for my academic, athletic, and social life. I also thank my 7 siblings who believed in me and have continued to provide advice over the years.

During my residency, William Tasman and George Spaeth were great mentors with wonderful personal discipline and a truly understanding heart. Occasionally, even younger folks have been a mentor to me alos such as some of our fellows, who have provided input to my life with guidance, and I have cherished that. The most profound mentorship that I have experienced, however, has been through my husband, Jerry Shields, who was exceptional in every way and I am grateful for his leadership, every day. Beyond his teachings, his humble and giving mannerisms have influenced me.

What makes this community unique compared to other professional organizations?

The IntRIS society is unique in that each of us, hailing from several different subspecialties, have a profound curiosity in ophthalmic imaging, whether it be minutia regarding OCT, enhancement on MRI, autofluorescence features, or basically anything that could provide a tip to the diagnosis and possible management. I think most people who attend the IntRIS meeting are deeply interested in ophthalmic imaging.

Outside of ophthalmology, what inspires or motivates you?

Outside of ophthalmology, I have many things that I enjoy doing. First and foremost, I live on a farm and I am a keeper of goats, chickens, dogs, and one cat. In addition we have rabbits, squirrels, birds, ground hogs that roam freely – you name it. So much fun to have these animals. I enjoy taking care of them each day before and after work. This grounds me and allows me to appreciate the simple things in life. I’m also an avid gardener and photographer. I enjoy the beauty of nature and have staged my flower gardens on our farm to bloom all spring, summer, and autumn from the earliest flower in February (snowdrops) to the later flowers in September (sunflowers). I find it satisfying to, enjoy the beauty of each blossom and the amazing intricacy of nature. I often photograph these flowers and when time, I occasionally will create a painting (watercolor, acrylic, oil media) for a more lasting memory. Lastly, I have a great interest in athletics and enjoy many sports, including cycling, cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, swimming, and of course, the sport that I have played nearly all my life and especially as a varsity athlete in college, basketball.

Please share your top 5 retinal imaging papers from the past year that you believe had the greatest impact on the field.

I practice in the field of Ocular Oncology, and imaging papers are not all that common. I suspect the most comprehensive recent ocular oncology imaging papers, would include those listed below:

Older reports but still valuable overviews of OCT of ocular tumors

• Shields CL, Pellegrini M, Ferenczy SR, Shields JA. Enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT) of intraocular tumors. From placid to seasick to rock and rolling topography. The 2013 Francesco Orzalesi Lecture. Retina 2014;34(8):1495-512. doi: 10.1097/IAE.0000000000000288.

• Shields CL, Manalac J, Das C, et al. Review of spectral domain- enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography of tumors of the retina and retinal pigment epithelium in children and adults. Indian J Ophthalmol. 2015;63(2):128-132. doi: 10.4103/0301-4738.154384.

Excellent report on risk factors for nevus growth to melanoma using imaging

• Shields CL, Dalvin LA, Ancona-Lezama D, Yu MD, Di Nicola M, Williams BK, Lucio-Alvarez JA, Ang SM, Maloney S, Welch RJ, Shields JA. Choroidal nevus imaging features in 3806 cases and risk factors for transformation into melanoma in 2355 cases. The 2020 Taylor R. Smith and Victor T. Curtin Lecture. Retina 2019;39(10):1840-1851. doi: 10.1097/IAE.0000000000002440.

Cool new observations on specific tumors and diseases using imaging

• Ramtohul P, Pellegrini M, Pichi F, et al. Stellate multiform amelanotic choroidopathy: Clinical and multimodal imaging features. Retina. 2023;43(9):1448–1461. doi: 10.1097/IAE.0000000000003826.

• Cohen SY, Lathiere T, Marechal V, et al. Unilateral Retinal Pigment Epithelium Dysgenesis (URPED): New Cases, Literature Review, and Considerations on Similarities and Differences with Combined Hamartoma of the Retina and Retinal Pigment Epithelium (CHRRPE). Retin Cases Brief Rep. 2025 Jul 14. doi: 10.1097/ICB.0000000000001785.

• Sanfilippo CJ, Javaheri M, Handler S, et al. Benign Lobular Inner Nuclear Layer Proliferations of the Retina Associated with Congenital Hypertrophy of the Retinal Pigment Epithelium. Ophthalmology 2023;130(3):265-273. doi: 10.1016/j.ophtha.2022.10.011.

• Javaheri M., Sanfilippo C.J, Kasi S., et al. Phenotypic Spectrum of Benign Lobular Inner Nuclear Layer Proliferations (BLIPs): A Multicenter Analysis and Review of the Literature Ophthalmology Retina 2025;9(10):1017-1022. doi: 10.1016/j.oret.2025.04.004.