Dr. Shanks earned his medical degree from the University of Louisville and began his neurological surgery residency at Louisiana State University in New Orleans, where he trained under David Kline. Dr. Kline was a leader in the field of peripheral nerve surgery. He completed his residency at the University of Louisville Department of Neurological Surgery/Leatherman Spine Program. He continued his training and fellowship in stereotactic and functional neurosurgery, with an emphasis on deep brain stimulation and craniofacial pain at Vanderbilt University Department of Neurological Surgery in Nashville, Tenn.
