A multi-dimensional reality: Carol Lally Shields.

Abstract

“The question isn’t who’s going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me.” - Ayn Rand The legendary woman who truly epitomizes the above quote is Dr. Carol Lally Shields with her perfect work–life balance and go-getter principle. With her dynamism, she has created an unprecedented universe of ocular oncology along with her husband, Dr. Jerry A. Shields, which is unparalleled and unique. The word dimension is derived from the Latin word dimetiri which means “to measure out.” However, the life-long work and efforts of Dr. Carol Lally Shields are beyond measure, and she has played a cardinal role in several lives due to her multi-dimensional personality which she has gracefully adorned. “There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish.” – Michelle Obama On July 8, 1957, in Sharon, Pennsylvania, was born a force of vivacity, Carol Lally. After graduating from Kennedy Christian High School in 1975, she pursued an undergraduate education at the University of Notre Dame (1975–1979). The first dimension that she truly and religiously embraced was academics. Since childhood, she has been limitless and has aced all the phases of her life with determination, persistence, and an in-depth approach to acquiring knowledge. At the University of Notre Dame, she embraced her second dimension – athletics. She set an exquisite example of maintaining an ideal balance between academics and athletics by playing for the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) women’s basketball team (“The Notre Dame Fighting Irish”) and serving as captain for 3 years [Fig. 1]. She was not only one of the first women to enter the University of Notre Dame but was also the first woman at the university to be awarded the coveted Byron V. Kanaley Award (1979) for excellence in academics and athletics. Following graduation, she contributed by becoming a part of the athletic board at her alma mater and was acknowledged to be the first female alumna to be bestowed with an honorary degree from the University of Notre Dame (May 2005). Her academic–athletic balance has been acknowledged on several occasions by her being awarded The Moose Krause Award (June 2006), given by the university for achievements in athletics, academics, and humanities (the first woman to receive this award), being inducted into the Academic All-American Hall of Fame on June 28, 2011, and being presented the Theodore Roosevelt Award (the “Teddy”) on January 11, 2023—the highest award that the NCAA bestows on a collegiate athlete—for excellence in athletics and career.[1]Figure 1: Dr. Carol Shields playing division 1 college basketball at the University of Notre Dame and serving as team captain for 3 years. She was a high scorer for most of her time at the universityIn 1979, Dr. Carol Shields matriculated to medical school at the University of Pittsburgh and crafted her destiny by entering the residency program at the Wills Eye Hospital, Thomas Jefferson University in 1984. She was determined to be an excellent and dedicated cataract surgeon, and join her older brother Patrick Lally, MD, but destiny drove her to meet her third dimension: Dr. Jerry A. Shields [Fig. 2], who added depth to her life. She stepped in a different historical direction while working on several projects with him.[2] The first and second dimensions were instrumental in her young life, but later, a historical tennis match, a basketball game, ophthalmology discussions and research, and mutual respect brought those two together.[3]Figure 2: (a) A glimpse of the historical date, October 26, 1985 – Wedding of Dr. Jerry A. Shields and Dr. Carol Lally Shields. (b) Many years later, the sacred partnership of the Shields team revolutionized the world of ocular oncologyDr. Carol Shields considers her meeting with Dr. Jerry Shields as the first “life lesson” that changed her direction in life.[4] Their mutual dedication, passion for ophthalmology, and love for each other led to their marriage, which indeed was a major event in the lives of today’s ocular oncologists, as their alliance changed the face of ocular cancers. She pursued her fellowship in ophthalmic pathology and ocular oncology at Wills Eye Hospital; and also completed her fellowship in orbital and eyelid tumors and reconstruction at the Moorfields Eye Hospital (London) between 1987 and 1989. Together, the Shields team curated the best out of each other and this unmatched legendary bond is revered worldwide. “People often only see one side of someone’s personality, but there are levels.” -Ross Lynch Perhaps the most sacred and the fourth dimension of her life includes her seven children. Dr. Shields gives them credit for her unplanned evolution and she maintained a precious family–work balance by paying due respect to her role as a mother and as a clinician. Be it family traditions, family outings, her children’s achievements, education, and entertainment [Fig. 3], the Shields parents were present for nearly all events as a dynamic duo. As Dr. Shields likes to put it, “Mom and Dad should be a team united.”[4]Figure 3: (a) Moments of fun and frolic as a mother in Dr. Carol Lally Shields’s life from 2001. (Left to right) Patrick, Maggie Mae, Nellie and Jerry Jr. Shields. (b) Dr. Carol Lally Shields with her third and fourth dimensions – The Shields Family. (Left to right) Jerry Jr., John, Nellie, Jerry, Carol, Rosie, Maggie Mae, Bill, Patrick ShieldsAccording to Diana Baumrind, a developmental psychologist, there are three styles of parenting: authoritative, permissive, and authoritarian.[5] However, as the Shields w realists and idealists to the core, they have created an exemplary amalgam of all three forms and have ensured the individualized development of all their children, keeping their own identities and personalities intact. Dr. Carol Lally Shields strongly believes that happiness is a state of mind and that for a person to be happy, there must be an absolute blend of pleasure, interpersonal engagement, social relationships, and accomplishments.[4] The process of parenting has given a deeper meaning and dimension to her life. By the end of the day, being a hard-working doctor, the innocent and youthful questions of her children brought her peace, contentment, confidence, and perspective. She considers her wonderful and large family as one of the biggest achievements of her life. Dr. Shields considers her medical school mentor and advisor, Dr. Yvonne Maher (a cardiologist), as the inspirational force behind her work–life balance. The fifth dimension that added meaning to her life is her patients. She believes in granting three wishes for each patient: to save every life, to save every eye, and to save every visual acuity.[2] She has been working day-in and day-out for the same. Her empathetical approach has led to providing impeccable care for her patients, which has helped in comforting and expedited healing. This led to a fulfilling career while she catered to the needs of her patients with humility, honesty, and enthusiasm. The sixth dimension that is pertinent for the successful establishment of the fifth dimension is research. Her organized work–research balance pattern has been able to benefit her patients immensely. The honest and dedicated work of the Shields team has saved thousands of lives [Fig. 4]. Their landmark trials and studies have revolutionized treatment modalities of ocular cancers. They worked with others to pioneer game-changing advancements in retinoblastoma management, including intravenous chemotherapy, intra-arterial chemotherapy, sub-Tenon’s chemotherapy, and intravitreal and intra-aqueous chemotherapy, all of which have increased global survival rates. She has advocated for the early detection and treatment of ocular melanoma and has established custom-designed brachytherapy devices for bypassing the radical measures of management with enucleation.Figure 4: Dr. Shields performing the fine needle aspiration biopsy on an intraocular tumor in 2003Dr. Carol Shields has written nearly 350 chapters and has co-authored 12 landmark textbooks along with Dr. Jerry Shields, including the Atlas of Orbital Tumors, Atlas of Intraocular Tumors, Atlas of Eyelid and Conjunctival Tumors, and Retinoblastoma. Over 2000 manuscripts have been written by the Shields team and this alone is a unique record.[6] Together, they have spearheaded the fight and established international protocols to cure ocular cancers, which are followed worldwide and have benefitted thousands, even beyond their intended target population. Dr. Carol Shields serves on several editorial and advisory boards to improve ocular oncology care worldwide. Learn to value yourself, which means fight for your happiness. - Ayn Rand The seventh dimension is her role as an administrator, entrepreneur, and leader. Her well-framed approach to a doctor’s success is the inclusion of a balance between the “5 As” in professional life, which include – Availability, Affability, Ability, Affordability and Accountability.[4] The struggle is to juggle these different roles. Dr. Shields has been able to recognize the importance of each. She is known for her punctuality and respect for time for her patients and staff with good communication skills and empathy. She cares equally about her responsibility as an entrepreneur and the job satisfaction of her staff members who have played an integral role in her journey. Every woman’s success should be an inspiration to another. We’re strongest when we cheer each other on. - Serena Williams Dr. Carol Lally Shields is currently the Director of the Ocular Oncology Service at Wills Eye Hospital, a Professor of Ophthalmology at Thomas Jefferson University, and a consultant at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Dr. Sara E. Lally plays an inevitable role as her power-packed associate, and they are an example of women empowering one another [Fig. 5]. Each year, their center provides care to 150 new cases of retinoblastoma and 500 new cases of uveal melanoma.[6] Dr. Shields team’s unflinching support for fellow ophthalmologists at different centers and their diagnosis-related queries have been highly appreciated and respected.Figure 5: Dr. Carol Shields and her associate, Dr. Sara Lally, on a busy day in the operating room in 2022“Personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald The eighth dimension that she embraces and considers important for the propagation of patient care is teaching. Over the last 40 years, she has mentored fellows, residents, interns, and students, all of whom have been trained to provide optimal care and serve patients in different parts of the world. She provides a balanced and regulated learning process to the ones working under her shadow, and makes an attempt to promote individualized growth of all her trainees. The ninth dimension includes her oratory and presentation skills. Thousands of invited talks, named lectures, keynote addresses, instruction courses, and symposia have been applauded worldwide from the Shields at various national and international meetings. Dr. Carol Lally Shields considers documentation and disease coding as important aspects of a professional career and has followed an extremely organized format. It not only provides education to general ophthalmologists and other subspecialties but also helps in spreading awareness regarding rare ocular cancers [Fig. 6]. She has also played a very important role as a leader at the International Society of Ocular Oncology, Macula Society, American Academy of Ophthalmology, and many other meetings.Figure 6: Dr. Carol Lally Shields, in 2023, at a medical conference commenting on a challenging caseThe tenth dimension of her multi-dimensional personality is her belief in God’s presence and strength. She has been able to achieve her goals due to her religious faith and honesty, both for which she is extremely thankful. Numerous rightly deserved laurels have been awarded to Dr. Carol Lally Shields. She is the first female ophthalmologist worldwide to be awarded the Donders Medal for Excellence in Ophthalmology from the Dutch Ophthalmologic Society in The Netherlands for her extensive work in the field of ophthalmology (April, 2003); the Retina Research Award of the Retina Society (October 2006), the Strittmater Award by the Philadelphia Medical Society (June 2010), the Honorary Degree from Catholic University of America (May 2011), the American Academy of Ophthalmology Life Achievement Honor Award (June 2011), Sidney Kimmel Medical College Dean’s Award (2022), and Future Vision Foundation Laureate Award (due in November 2023). Since 2014, Dr. Carol Lally Shields has been a part of “The Ophthalmologist Power List” and was ranked as numero uno (#1) in 2020 and 2023. Her mention in the list of Icons in Ophthalmology, Top Doctor in Pennsylvania, and America’s Best Eye Doctors speak of her universal presence.[7] The world has been limited to three dimensions, with a hypothesis of the existence of a fourth and a fifth dimension. However, Dr. Carol Lally Shields is a living example of the realistic manifestation of a multi-dimensional personality. The beauty of her approach towards the multiple dimensions is that she has mastered the art of making her presence felt in the dimension that requires her the most at that moment. Only ten dimensions have been enlisted above, but she continues to surprise the world with her par-excellence career and performance. Her conscious balanced approach towards life and her ambition, dedication, and persistence are inspiring for all women ophthalmologists who want to live a productive and satisfying life. In her opinion, a perfect work–life balance, self-confidence, and the urge to create a difference are the prime ingredients of a happy and successful life. I am a woman and a warrior. If you think I can’t be both, you’ve been lied to. - Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar