ATLANTA — The world-renowned Shepherd Center, specializing in spinal cord and brain injury rehabilitation, is celebrating its 50th anniversary Monday in Atlanta.

The hospital was born from the vision of Alana and Harold Shepherd after their son James was paralyzed while bodysurfing in Brazil in 1973. Following his recovery at a rehabilitation facility in Denver, the family decided Atlanta needed a similar center. “We were naive enough to not know it was going to be hard,” Alana Shepherd recalled.

Since then, the center has grown into a nationally recognized institution, treating thousands of inpatients and outpatients each year. It currently houses more than 150 patient beds, an ICU, nearly a dozen outpatient clinics, and a new family residences tower offering more than 160 apartments for loved ones of patients.

Alana Shepherd, now 95, still comes to work every day and says the mission is far from finished. “Not everyone gets a chance to do something like this, so why quit?” she said. “Technology and just people trying all the time to find a better way; when you look forward to the next 50 years, there’s no telling what breakthroughs there’ll be.”

The center continues to shape the future of rehabilitation. In July, U.S. News & World Report ranked Shepherd Center No. 13 in the nation for rehabilitation in its 2025–2026 edition of Best Hospitals.

Alana Shepherd says the impact is clear: “With all the research we do, it’s very meaningful, and it’s made a difference in lives, for sure.”

WSB’s Veronica Waters contributed to this story