Dr. Shannon O'Mahar

Irish Person of the Year 2020

 Shannon Eileen O'Mahar, MD is a native of Milwaukee and is the eldest daughter of Terry and Karin O'Mahar. Besides one younger sister, she also grew up with many loving and supportive uncles, aunts, and cousins. Her family taught her much about hard work and serving others, and without them, she would not be the person she is today. She obtained her undergraduate degree from Stanford University and earned her medical degree from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. It was here that she encountered the bone marrow transplant service and developed her interest in oncology and devotion to oncology patients. She completed her internship at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis and her fellowship at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. Dr. O’Mahar is a board-certified oncologist and practices with SSM Health Dean Medical Group and is affiliated with St Mary’s Hospitals in Madison and Janesville. Her area of expertise is the treatment of multiple myeloma, myelodysplastic syndromes, monoclonal gammopathy, and acute and chronic leukemia. Because of these interests, she supports and educates patients in the Madison Multiple Myeloma Support Group and the hematology support group at Gilda's Club. She also works closely with the University of Wisconsin bone marrow transplant service to provide optimal care for complex patients. Her patients sustain and inspire her daily, and she aspires to do the same for them. In her free time, Dr. O’Mahar enjoys baking and writing short stories and poetry. She also enjoys traveling for medical conferences and for leisure. She is happy to support many local organizations with her time and resources; these organizations include Middleton Outreach Ministry, Wisconsin Public Radio, Second Harvest, Gilda's Club, Dane County Humane Society, and Dane County Shamrock Club. She lives in Middleton with her devoted and patient husband, Dr. Peter Spanos, and a thoroughly spoiled cat which they adopted from the Dane County Humane Society. She enjoys good mysteries (medical, scientific, and fictional), good friendships, hearty laughter, and a good pint in moderation.