Dr. Shafa was born and raised in Beverly Hills, CA, attending CEE and Harvard-Westlake. During this time, he volunteered at Cedars-Sinai Hospital and worked with multiple local plastic surgeons, which cemented his interest in medicine and his passion for the field of cosmetic surgery. He then attended The Johns Hopkins University where he completed his degree in Biology. Following his undergraduate training, he completed a research year at Harvard Medical School focused on Cancer Biology and genetics. He then matriculated to The Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, where he earned a Master's Degree in Cancer Biology. After graduating from graduate school, he returned to Los Angeles for a research year at UCLA, focusing on epigenetic control in cancer development.

In 2008, he moved to Michigan for medical school at Wayne State University School of Medicine. He then completed his General Surgery training at the prestigious Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. Upon completing his General Surgery training, he moved to Chicago for his Plastic Surgery training at the University of Illinois at Chicago. UIC Plastic Surgery is internationally recognized for its Craniofacial Center and management of congenital craniofacial abnormalities, in addition to its focus on cosmetic surgery and facial trauma surgery. After completing all of his surgical training, Dr. Shafa returned home to Beverly Hills to begin his Cosmetic Surgery practice.