Courtney Shires, MD

About Me

Dr. Courtney Shires is an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) oncology surgeon at West Cancer Center & Research Institute, Germantown, TN. Patients present to the head and neck oncology team at West with cancers of the tongue, lips, throat, jaw, thyroid, voice box, skin, and neck. Dr. Shires is board certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. She currently serves Memphis area hospitals.

With a bachelor’s degree from Mississippi College, Shires earned her Doctor of Medicine from the University of Mississippi School of Medicine in 2006. Her turn to otolaryngology came as a resident, intrigued by the surgeries and treatment options available for head and neck cancers. Shires developed a deeper interest in robotic surgery for head and neck cancer, which took her to the University of Pennsylvania. There, Dr. Shires trained with pioneers in the field of especially learning techniques for skull base surgeries.

Dr. Shires has been practicing medicine for over 17 years and is highly rated in 39 conditions (Medifind). Her top areas of expertise are Salivary Gland Tumors, Laryngeal Cancer, Throat Cancer, Laryngectomy, and Tissue Biopsy. Shires’ clinical research consists of co-authoring 55 peer reviewed articles in the past 20 years. She has been involved in medical presentations at over 44 national and international meetings, and has has been named among Castle Connolly Top Doctors, Exceptional Women In Medicine, and Memphis Magazine: Top Doctors from 2022-2025.

Education

• MD, University of Mississippi  School of Medicine
• BS, Mississippi College

Residency

• Otolaryngology (Head & Neck Surgery) – University  of Tennessee Health Science Center

Fellowship

• Head & Neck Oncology – University of Pennsylvania

Board Certification

Otolaryngology

Awards and Honors

• 2025 Healthcare Research All-Stars, by Avant-Garde Health, among the top 5% in Otolaryngology
• 2024 Best Paper in the Clinical Medicine category, 54th Annual Symposium: Care of the Professional Voice. Presented by the Voice Foundation and the Journal of Voice for paper “Is there Really a Lump in My Throat? The Incidence and Implication of Vocal fold Abnormalities in Patients Presenting with Globus” on May 30th, 2025.
• 2023- 2025 The Memphis Flyer‘s Exceptional Women in Medicine by Castle Connolly
• 2022- 2025 Castle Connolly Top Doctor, Otolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery
• 2022-2025 Memphis Magazine: Top Doctors: 2022-2025
• 2018, Honorable mention, Endocrinology, Poster session, AAO-HNS 2018 Annual Meeting & Oto EXPO, Atlanta, GA
• 2016, Poster of distinction, NASBS, Scottsdale, Arizona
• 2014, Faculty Teaching award, University of Tennessee, Department of Otolaryngology
• 2011, Basic Science Research Award, 13th Annual Ed Cocke Research Symposium, University of TN, Memphis, TN
• 2010, AAO-HNS/F Resident Leadership Grant, 2010 Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO, Boston, MA
• 2010, Basic Science Research Award, 12th Annual Ed Cocke Research Symposium, University of TN, Memphis, TN
• 2009, Basic Science Research Award, 11th Annual Ed Cocke Research Symposium, University of TN, Memphis, TN
• 2009, Resident Teaching Award, Voted by Medical Students, University of TN, Memphis, TN
• 2005, Gold Humanism Honor Society, University of MS Medical Center
• 2004, Customer Service Award, University Hospital and Clinics, UMMC

Research and Publications