​Dr. Lori Shepherd has practiced pediatrics in the Wausau area since 1994. She believes in family centered care. "To take care of the child," she explains, "you have to have a good relationship with the parents."

This is central to her practice because she works with both healthy children and children with chronic medical problems and developmental disabilities.

Dr. Shepherd's interest in special needs children keeps her involved in the community. She is on the Marathon County Board of Health, speaks about autism, and has worked with early childhood programs in the community. "Early intervention is really the key to optimizing a kid's future," she says.

She and her husband, an emergency room physician, have a child in high school and another in college. She loves outdoor activities, including biking, hiking and kayaking.