Ray “Wes” Shepherd, M.D., is a professor of internal medicine in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care and also holds a joint appointment in the Department of Surgery. He completed his residency and fellowship at VCU Medical Center followed by an additional fellowship in interventional pulmonology at the Lahey Clinic in Burlington, Mass. He currently serves as the director of interventional pulmonology and as the vice chair for ambulatory operations for the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine. Shepherd’s clinical practice is diverse, including attending in the Medical Respiratory Intensive Care Unit, the interventional pulmonology procedure consult service, general pulmonary clinic, and as part of the multidisciplinary Chest Tumors Center at VCU Massey Cancer Center.
His major focus and passion over the last 16 years has been the creation and growth of the Interventional Pulmonology program. Not only is the program one of the preeminent in the country, it is the most comprehensive IP program in Virginia, filling a specialized niche for many complex patients throughout the state. Shepherd has introduced numerous new innovative technologies to VCU Health System, and the IP program has grown significantly with the recruitment of multiple faculty, research and the creation of an IP fellowship now in its 11th year.
Shepherd is a member of many professional societies and has given numerous lectures at national and international meetings and courses. He has served on the board of directors for the American Association for Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology and also on the national steering committee for the Interventional and Chest Diagnostic Procedure Network of the American College of Chest Physicians. He was an author of the first national board exam in IP and has been involved heavily in the formalization of this new subspecialty. He is involved in teaching at all levels, from the M2 year through pulmonary fellowship and has several active Institutional Review Board projects and numerous published articles and abstracts. He has served on multiple division, departmental and school committees, including as chair of the Invasive Procedure Committee. He has been recognized by Richmond Magazine as a “top doc” in pulmonology for the last 10 years, recently received Distinguished CHEST Educator recognition by ACCP, and is a previous winner of the VCU Health System’s Distinguished Clinician Award.
“Dr. Shepherd is described by colleagues and patients as hard-working, collaborative, patient, humble and compassionate. He is accessible and professional with everyone he encounters,” says Peter F. Buckley, M.D., interim CEO of VCU Health System and dean of the School of Medicine. “[His] work advances the VCU Quest 2025 mission and goals, through his demonstrated commitment and achievements in raising VCU’s national prominence in the field of interventional pulmonology, and his steadfast dedication to supporting the success of learners at all levels.”