Dr. Shad graduated from Sind Medical College in 1983. He started his career at a sub-rural dispensary in interior Sindh followed by teaching anatomy at the Sindh Medical College and later at the Aga Khan University. After moving to US, Dr. Shad completed his psychiatry residency at the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita and a 2-year psychopharmacology fellowship in 1998.

In 2000, Dr. Shad joined Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic at the University of Pittsburgh to advance his interest in neuroimaging research. At the University of Texas Southwestern, Dallas, he completed his masters in clinical sciences and received a NIMH-sponsored K-23 mentored research award. In 2013, Dr. Shad moved to Southern Illinois University, Springfield, Illinois as a residency program director. He continued his academic career at the Oregon Health & Sciences University, where he became a full professor in 2019. Currently, Dr. Shad is adjunct professor at the Touro University Nevada starting a new psychiatry residency program in Las Vegas.

Dr. Shad has received federal, investigator-initiated and private research funding. The federal funding was a K23 award to investigate neurobiology of self-awareness in schizophrenia. Private funding involved investigation of minocycline augmentation in schizophrenia. Most recently, investigator-initiated trials included investigation of utility of pharmacogenomics algorithm in schizophrenia. In addition to receiving several teaching awards from trainees, Dr. Shad has authored and co-authored more than 70 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters. Dr. Shad has presented at national and international meetings including UN-sponsored psychopharmacology workshops and seminars in Pakistan.