E. Anne Shepherd, MD – Fellow

Emily Anne (Annie) Shepherd, MD grew up in Nashville, TN well before Nashville became a premiere destination. She attended a small all-girls school with only 52 girls in her graduating class. She then went on to University of Notre Dame for undergraduate education. At Notre Dame, she stayed active in many clubs and teams, including basketball, club boxing, half marathon training, and student government. Her undergraduate research with the Biomedical Engineering Department focused on creating handheld devices to detect illnesses, such as malaria, Dengue fever, and Yellow fever, while in the field.

She then went decided to pursue a medical degree at the University of Tennessee Health Science center where she was class treasurer for four years. As the first doctor in her family, Annie found her passion in small world of ophthalmology. Initially starting in bench research focusing on specific gene targets for glaucoma treatment, Annie found the utility and day to day application of clinical research. During medical school, she reviewed indications of pediatric CT scans in the emergency room in an attempt to decrease pediatric radiation burden.

Annie completed her residency at Rush University where she continued to hone her skills and interests. She was inspired by the attendings at Illinois Retina Associates to pursue further training in vitreoretinal surgery. During residency, her research focused on Retinopathy of Prematurity and clinical chart review in various topics.

During her free time, Annie enjoys spending time with her husband, Sean, and dog, Luna. She relaxes with long runs or bike rides and loves the Chicago river and lakefront.

Illinois Retina Associates and Rush University Medical Center, together have been committed to the education of future retina specialists through the vitreoretinal fellowship program since 1987.