Wills Eye Hospital establishes Brady-Shields Endowed Chair in Ocular Oncology

Renowned physician-leader Dr. Jerry A. Shields will be the inaugural recipient of the distinguished Brady-Shields Endowed Chair in Ocular Oncology.

Dr. Shields will be will be honored in a special ceremony at Wills Eye Hospital on Friday, January 12, 2018.

The Chair is named for the 3 pioneering physicians in ophthalmology and oncology: Dr. Luther W. Brady Jr., distinguished professor at Drexel University and Hylda Cohn/American Cancer Society professor of clinical oncology; Dr. Jerry A. Shields, co-founder and director emeritus of the ocular oncology service at Wills Eye Hospital and professor of ophthalmology at Thomas Jefferson University; and Dr. Carol L. Shields, director of the ocular oncology service at Wills Eye Hospital and professor of ophthalmology at Thomas Jefferson University.

The Chair will provide research funding for developing new advances and techniques in the treatment and cure of oncology diseases of the eye.

“With my gift, I’d like to stimulate research in genetic markers for primary malignant tumors of the eye,” said Dr. Brady. “With its broad clinical experience, Wills Eye Hospital is particularly well suited to carry out this research.”

Drs. Carol and Jerry Shields noted that their gift was motivated by successful careers at Wills Eye Hospital.

“We’ve had 40 wonderful years at Wills and we have been able to pursue research and patient care that has always centered on what’s best for the patient,” said Dr. Jerry Shields. “We’d not only like to ‘give back’, but encourage those closest to Wills Eye – and friends of Wills Eye – to do so as well. Personally, it’s been quite rewarding.”

Physicians who would like to make a gift can contact the Wills Eye Development Office at 215-440-3154.