She began her professional career at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1983 and from 1987 through 1997 was the Director of Performance Improvement and Utilization Management. In July 1997 she became the Director of Education and Outreach for the Johns Hopkins Breast Center. In this role she oversees the quality improvement program of the Johns Hopkins Breast Center, directs the Johns Hopkins Breast Cancer Survivor Volunteer Program, the educational program, and the center's outreach program. Despite her demanding professional life, she finds the time to work as a Reach to Recovery volunteer for the American Cancer Society and provides emotional support to breast cancer patients before and after their mastectomy surgeries. In addition to this she is also involved with numerous organizations dedicated to providing emotional support to newly diagnosed breast cancer patients,striving to empower patients so they participate in the decision making about their care and treatment options, raises money for cancer education and research, and is involved with groups promoting regulations to insure that all women have easy access to breast cancer screening for early detection and treatment. In March 1995 she co-founded and is the Vice President of a nonprofit organization called "Mothers Supporting Daughters with Breast Cancer" (MSDBC), which became a national nonprofit organization in August 1995 and in its first 4 years has provided assistance and support to more than 10,000 sets of mothers and daughters nationally and internationally covering the entire US, Canada, Ecuador, England, Australia, and Sweden. In the October 1997 issue of Self Magazine, both the Johns Hopkins Breast Center and MSDBC were featured- Hopkins for being one of the top ten breast centers in the country and MSDBC for being one of the top 20 support organizations for women battling breast cancer. (MSDBC was featured again in the October 1998 issue as well.)

Mrs. Shockney is a nationally recognized expert in the field of clinical quality improvement and utilization management and is a public speaker and published author on both of these subjects. Due to her own personal experience with breast cancer as a nurse and patient (having had 2 mastectomies, herself, since 1992), she also has become an accomplished speaker on the subject of breast cancer as well . She has appeared in television and radio numerous times over the last few years and has traveled across the country doing inspirational presentations on the subject of breast cancer. Her most popular request for presentations by breast cancer organizations, health care professionals, and women's groups is her talk on the psychological impact this disease has on a woman and those who care about her. She provides inspiration and interesting insight into the value of humor as a powerful weapon when confronted with cancer and describes how it can become supplemental adjuvant therapy when combined with a patient's medically and surgically prescribed treatment plan. She also works with breast cancer organizations and health care professionals to improve the quality of care and services women receive who are diagnosed with this devastating disease. One of her passions is to develop national quality standards for breast cancer diagnosis and treatment so that women can feel confident that wherever they seek care it meets certain quality standards that will aid them in becoming long term survivors.

She has been on a regular speaking circuit since September 1994 for the American Cancer Society, and several other breast cancer affiliated organizations and support groups, hospitals who treat cancer patients and other interested organizations, and also has been interviewed on the radio and television on this subject. Mrs. Shockney has also had numerous articles published in various health care and cancer magazines as well regarding her experiences and breast cancer and how women can reduce their risk of getting a disease that is the most feared by all women and strikes one in eight women sometime in their life.

In addition to these accomplishments Lillie is also the recipient of the Outstanding Women of America Award for recognition of her professional and community services contributions. In 1993 she was also awarded the Global Business Leadership Award for her work in the field of Clinical Quality Improvement and Utilization Management. In July 1996 she was nominated for an Avon Breast Cancer Leadership Award. In March 1997 she was chosen to be one of thirty women who were featured in Maryland's American Cancer Society's Portraits of Hope. In June 1997 she was awarded the "Distinguished Graduate Award" for lifetime achievement. In October 1998 she was the recipient of two national awards for her educational published material written about breast cancer, the decision making processes patients need to go through to ensure they are receiving good care, and for the content of the Johns Hopkins Breast Center website. In December 1998, Mrs. Shockney was informed that she will be the recipient of the 1999 national "Circle of Life" award provided by Shape Magazine and the National Race for the Cure.

She is also on the Hopkins' faculty who respond to questions posted on the Hopkins Intelihealth internet channel and is a faculty member of the Hopkins Consumer Information Network.