Dr. Jessica Shepherd

A native of Canada, Dr. Shepherd received her undergraduate degree from University of Oklahoma in 1998. She obtained her M.D. degree from Ross University in 2005 and then did her OB/GYN training in both her Internship and Residency at Drexel University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 2005-2009. In 2011, Dr. Shepherd completed a fellowship in Gynecologic Endoscopy and Minimally Invasive Surgery at the University of Louisville where she also completed her Masters of Business Administration. Dr. Shepherd joined the OB/GYN Department at the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2011 and has created a following among the community in offering patients laparoscopic surgical procedures that may not have been offered in their past.

Dr. Shepherd is a Junior Fellow of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and has served as District V Chair as well as Committee Member for the Gynecologic Practice Committee for 2010-2012. As an avid member of the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists, she serves on the ad hoc review committee for the Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology. She has been awarded the prestigious IRCAD award in 2010 and was the 3rd place recipient of the Jay M. Cooper Award that same year.

Her multiple publications include a book chapter on Prevention and Management of Laparoscopic Complications as well as a medical expert in various journals including Women’s Day, LifeScript.com, Heart and Soul, Best Health and WebMD. She also appeared on the local news in Chicago and Indianapolis to discuss women’s’ health issues.

Most recently, she was chosen to be the Public Affairs and Minority Advocacy Chair on the Executive Board for the Pass the Pearls (http://passthepearls.org/). Dr. Shepherd is actively involved in patient care, teaching residents and research. As the Director of Minimally Invasive Gynecology at UIC, she specializes in endometriosis, fibroids and surgical approaches to these diseases. Her training in advanced laparoscopic surgery has made her an advocate for educating women on their options for minimally invasive surgery. Her goals are to increase her patients’ awareness of their choices and alternatives. She is particularly interested in fibroids in the minority population and is in the initial stages of a study on fibroids and its effect on women with Dr. Rick Kittles of UIC. She has given lectures nationally and internationally on fibroids and myomectomies and is motivated to treat many of these patients with a minimally invasive approach.