Dr. Wilbourn Coupery Shands spent much of his career in his native Jackson, MS, at the Surgical Clinic as a general surgeon. He earned both his B.A. and M.D. degrees from Vanderbilt University in 1943 and 1945, respectively. After service in the United States Army Air Corps, he began his surgical training at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, and was later awarded a Surgical Fellowship at M.D. Anderson Cancer Clinic in Houston, TX.

In addition to being Clinical Professor Emeritus in the Department of Surgery at the University of Mississsippi Medical Center, Shands has served as Chief of Staff at St. Dominic Jackson Memorial Hospital. He has also held membership in numerous medical associations.