Story by: Nick Picht; Reviewed by Christopher B. Shields, M.D. on July 26, 2024
It’s an interesting juxtaposition. A crossroads, if you will.
On one hand, the office of Christopher B. Shields, M.D., is synonymous with progress. Sitting on the 11th floor of the Gray Street Medical Building, it overlooks downtown Louisville. The wall of windows along one side allows for a nearly panoramic view of the city’s hospital district. It’s easy to dream about the future, especially on a sunny, springtime afternoon.
On the other hand, Dr. Shields’ office is a memoir.
His six diplomas line one wall. An oil canvas of Seneca Park stretches along another. On his desk are old photos — his daughters, their dogs — and a paper map of the world, push-pinned in places he’s visited. Bobbleheads of Elvis Presley, Winston Churchill and Abraham Lincoln, among others, provide a bit of comic relief and a bit of insight into what interests him outside of work.
Just beyond that, a six-cabinet library, crammed with works he’s either written, read or both. It’s an encapsulation of a long career. It’s a career that, this June, turned 50.
And while the past and future intersect, the present is still apparent.
On this particular Monday, this neurosurgeon and founder and chairman of Norton Neuroscience Institute is sitting in his scrubs, sipping hot chocolate, and preparing for his next call down to the operating room.
Schumacher, Canada. Roughly 450 miles north of Toronto. A small gold-mining town of about 3,000 people.
That’s where Dr. Shields’ journey started.
His competitiveness, work ethic and determination were built at a young age, when a failed attempt at playing ice hockey pushed the northern Ontario native to figure skating.
He never looked back.
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Dr. Shields’ career in figure skating immediately took off. He competed in national and international competitions, including the Olympic trials in 1963 and the World Figure Skating Championships in 1965. All the while, he was preparing for his career off the ice. He graduated from medical school at the University of Toronto in 1966 and completed his neurosurgical residency in Winnipeg, Canada, at the University of Manitoba.
“I think what people do in one sport really carries on to other aspects of their life,” Dr. Shields said. “And that includes medicine, or whatever else they do. Those lessons learned, the discipline learned, goes on to many other fields.”
But Dr. Shields always felt like he was called to be in the United States. In the ’70s, he answered that call, and completed a fellowship in neurovascular surgery at the University of Vermont in Burlington. He learned the technique of microsurgery, a new technology at the time.
Eventually, he was ready to start his professional career.
The field of neurosurgery in Louisville has a rich history.
It begins with Glen Spurling, M.D., who in 1926 founded the neurosurgery service at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. He also co-founded the Harvey Cushing Society (subsequently known as the American Association of Neurological Surgeons) and the American Board of Neurological Surgery, two well-respected national neurosurgical organizations.
During World War II, Dr. Spurling was the first chief of neurosurgery at the Walter Reed General Hospital and organized the neurosurgical service for the U.S. Army. He directed the care of Gen. George S. Patton during the last few weeks of the general’s life. After Dr. Spurling retired in the 1960s, the baton was passed to Everett Grantham, M.D., and Henry Garretson, M.D., Ph.D. Dr. Garretson became known for his cutting-edge surgical treatments for vascular malformations of the brain and his epilepsy practice.
Dr. Shields knew about the history of neurosurgery in Louisville and trusted Dr. Garretson, who was his mentor. When Dr. Garretson suggested he come to Louisville to work alongside him, Dr. Shields jumped at the opportunity.
In June 1974, Dr. Shields officially called Louisville home.
He joined a private practice, called the Neurosurgical Institute of Kentucky, which operated out of the brand-new Norton Hospital on Chestnut Street. He also served on the faculty in the Department of Neurological Surgery at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. In 1988 he rose to the top of his field, becoming the first Canadian president of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, the largest neurosurgical organization in the United States. In the 1990s, he became chairman of the Department of Neurological Surgery at the University of Louisville. In that position, he created the Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, with the support of a legislator at that time, state Sen. Tim Shaughnessy, and lead research scientist Scott Whittemore, Ph.D. The center has grown to become a leader in spinal cord injury research.
Dr. Shields began to look at the future of neurosurgery and its place in the world of medicine. He wanted to grow and develop a team of specialists — neurosurgeons and neurologists who could work in harmony to become leaders in advanced neurologic care. He also wanted that team to delve into neurologic research.
That opportunity presented itself in 2009, when he and his six-person neurosurgical team joined Norton Healthcare full time. Simultaneously, he recruited six more neurosurgeons from across the country.
Together, they established Norton Neuroscience Institute.
“It is very satisfying,” Dr. Shields said. “To know I helped create a skilled team here is all I could have asked for. It gives me confidence to know we are doing all we can to bring the best care to our patients and to this region.”
Since its inception, Norton Neuroscience Institute has become a regional leader in advanced neurologic and neurosurgical care. The team has grown to include more than 130 medical, surgical and research specialists and advanced practice providers dedicated to delivering innovative care to those with brain, spine, and nervous system conditions.
“The idea was not just to build up one aspect of it, but to merge the specialties so the neurosurgeons and neurologists would work together,” Dr. Shields said. “I don’t look at how fast we have grown and become complacent. I look at it as, ‘Who can we recruit next week to keep us growing?’”
In 2019, 10 years after the creation of Norton Neuroscience Institute, Dr. Shields was looking to push the boundaries even further.
“I looked around at our team and realized no one was treating Alzheimer’s disease,” Dr. Shields said. “So I said, ‘I’m going to do it.’”
In 2020, along with neuropsychologist Brandon C. Dennis, Psy.D., Dr. Shields created the Norton Neuroscience Institute Memory Center, which has grown to include a 25-person team and has become a regional leader in multidisciplinary memory care.
In 2023, Norton Healthcare became the first health system in the region to administer lecanemab, the first disease-modifying medication for Alzheimer’s disease. In less than a year’s time, Norton Healthcare has established itself as a leading system for administering the drug, with more than 110 patients currently enrolled in treatment.
“I had no idea how fortuitous the timing would be,” Dr. Shields said. “Two years after the Memory Center started here, we get a major innovation in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Who knows what will happen in two more years, but [you] cannot be deterred by the barriers. [You’ve got to go] over it, around it, [or] under it. There are no barriers. Everybody says you cannot do something, but all you have to do is prove them wrong. That’s what motivates me.”
Dr. Shields sits in his office, waiting for the phone to ring.
He is focused on what lies ahead, literally and figuratively. Soon he’ll head back to the operating room at Norton Hospital, a place he first stepped foot into five decades ago. He’ll perform another surgery, impacting the life of another patient. He’s performed more than 25,000 operations since he came to Kentucky. But beyond the next surgery, his thoughts also turn to what is next for his career, his field and his team at Norton Neuroscience Institute.
“My immediate goal is to expand the Memory Center to add more clinicians and researchers,” Dr. Shields said. “I hope to make us one of the largest nationally-recognized neurodegenerative centers in the country. I want people to choose to come here from around the world to receive the best treatment supported by a strong research team.”
As for retirement, that’s not in the cards yet.
He is still in the operating room on Mondays and Wednesdays. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturday mornings are spent in clinic. And Fridays — his administrative days — are spent in meetings with other members of the organization, trying to push the boundaries of what is possible. Dr. Shields is also a prolific researcher, having published 213 articles in peer-reviewed medical journals, and 31 book chapters.
Officially, Dr. Shields’ goal is to work at least through 2026, marking the 100th anniversary of neurosurgery in Louisville, a journey started back in 1926 by Dr. Spurling. But in his heart, he wants to work as long as he can remain dedicated to his craft.
“Why would I retire,” Dr. Shields said. “I am doing things that I enjoy doing, and I’m still good at doing it. And, I make patients better. My favorite quote comes from [former Washington Post publisher] Katharine Graham. She said, ‘To love what you do and feel that it matters — how could anything be more fun?’”
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