Concordia Nebraska experience prepared Anna (Doering) Shafer '06 for her medical career

Seward, NE (09/16/2026) — Anna (Doering) Shafer '06 said Concordia University, Nebraska has been part of her family's story for generations.

"My grandmother, Ruth Doering, attended the teachers' college in the 1940s. My father, Rev. Allen Doering '78, transferred to Concordia in 1976 after earning his associate's degree from Concordia Texas, and my mother, Mary (Doehling) Doering '80 graduated with a degree in secondary education. Additionally, my cousins Rachel (Doering) Eels '95 and Mary (Boerger) Suelzle '06 attended Concordia Nebraska."

Shafer has a bachelor's degree in theology from Concordia Nebraska and a master's degree in medical science from the Yale University Physician Associate Program.

She said her time at Concordia Nebraska was filled with amazing experiences and that it's hard to narrow down her best memories to only one or two things.

"One of the most formative experiences was spending a semester studying abroad at Oak Hill College in London. Seeing Christians faithfully and joyfully living out their faith in a much more secular culture broadened my understanding of what it means to follow Christ in everyday life," she explained. "I also loved Spring Weekend, the A Cappella concerts and the close-knit community that naturally developed because of Concordia's size. The small science classes allowed me to build meaningful relationships with both classmates and professors that simply wouldn't have happened in a large lecture hall."

After graduation, Shafer spent two years working as a unit secretary in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit while applying to physician assistant school. She then attended the Yale University Physician Associate Program.

"Over the years, I've been blessed to serve in a variety of healthcare settings. I practiced primary care at a federally qualified health center in Honolulu, Hawaii, caring for an underserved community," she said. "I later worked in adult surgery at a community hospital in Norwich, Connecticut, before moving to Houston, Texas, where I have spent the past 11 years as a pediatric surgical hospitalist at Texas Children's Hospital."

In April 2025, she accepted a full-time faculty position as an assistant professor in the Baylor College of Medicine Physician Assistant Program, allowing her to combine her love of clinical medicine with her passion for teaching the next generation of healthcare providers.

She said working with students is the most rewarding part of her job.

"Their enthusiasm for learning and their desire to care well for patients is contagious. I love helping them grow not only into knowledgeable clinicians, but also into compassionate healthcare providers who treat every patient with dignity and respect," she said. "Knowing that the lessons I teach today will ultimately impact thousands of patients throughout my students' careers is both humbling and incredibly meaningful."

At Baylor College of Medicine, Shafer serves as a core faculty member in the Physician Assistant Program. She is the course director for Women's Health and Clinical Lab Medicine during the didactic year, and during the clinical year she serves as the rotation director for the OB/GYN clerkship.

"I also teach throughout the curriculum, facilitate clinical skills labs and small-group learning, serve on the admissions committee, serve as an advisor and research mentor and continue to practice clinically at Texas Children's Hospital," she said. "No two days are exactly alike, which is one of the things I enjoy most about academic medicine. Depending on the time of year, I may be teaching first-year students how to perform the head-to-toe physical exam, lecturing on preventive medicine, developing curriculum, preparing future clinical rotations, interviewing applicants or mentoring students one-on-one."

Shafer and her husband married in 2012 and have three daughters. When she's not working, you'll find Shafer spending time with family, traveling or running. She completed the New York City Half Marathon in March 2026 and is always looking forward to her next race. She is also active in her church, where she teaches Sunday School and frequently plays piano.

She pointed out that Concordia Nebraska Professor of Chemistry Dr. John Jurchen had a tremendous impact on her.

"Organic chemistry did not come naturally to me, but he patiently helped me develop the study habits, discipline and confidence I needed to succeed. Those skills became foundational when I later entered the Physician Associate Program at Yale University," she explained. "More broadly, the faculty at Concordia modeled something even more important than academic excellence-they demonstrated that our faith isn't compartmentalized. Whether teaching theology, science or the liberal arts, they consistently pointed us toward using our gifts in service to God and our neighbor."

She said that her time at Concordia prepared her for her current work. Her studies at Concordia combined theology, biology and chemistry, a combination that at the time seemed unusual, but she said it perfectly prepared her for the vocation that God had in mind for her.

"Serving Christ isn't limited to working in a church or school. Every vocation can be a calling. For me, that calling has been medicine and now medical education. As a physician assistant, I have the privilege of caring for people during some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives. Whether treating a child in the hospital, teaching future healthcare providers, or mentoring students, I see each interaction as an opportunity to reflect Christ's compassion, mercy and love," she said. "My theology education shaped the way I view every patient-as someone created in God's image and worthy of dignity, compassion and excellent care. Concordia instilled in me that we are called to love and serve our neighbors wherever God places us. The words of Ephesians 2 have taken on even greater meaning throughout my career: we are saved by grace through faith-not because of what we have done, but we are also 'created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.'"

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