Dr. Shaughnessy received his D.D.S. degree from the University of Michigan in 1983 and his masters in orthodontics from the University of North Carolina in 1986. He was awarded a national research fellowship by the National Institute of Dental Research during his orthodontic residency. His research earned him an Award of Special Merit from the American Association of Orthodontists in 1987. He was an assistant professor in the Department of Orthodontics, Emory University School of Postgraduate Dentistry from 1986 to 1992. Dr. Shaughnessy maintained a solo orthodontic specialty practice in Marietta, GA, from 1986 to 2010, and now practices exclusively in Suwanee, GA. He is a Diplomate of The American Board of Orthodontics. He is also a member of the Pierre Fauchard Academy and the International College of Dentists.