Philosophy of Care

Dr. Shumate provides direct mental health care to inmate-patients housed at Sacramento County's Main Jail in downtown Sacramento and the Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center in Elk Grove, California. Mental health care in Sacramento County's jails are provided by a multi-disciplinary team of UC Davis Health employees who work closely with Sacramento County, Sacramento County Sheriff's Office, and various community entities to provide appropriate patient care which meets or exceeds community standards. Dr. Shumate believes in providing high-quality care to his patients; as a psychiatrist, developing a treatment plan includes considering social factors like family support and housing. Dr. Shumate does not, at this time, provide mental health care to the general public.

Clinical Interests

Dr. Shumate is an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry. He serves as a faculty member for the prestigious UC Davis Division of Psychiatry and the Law. Clinically, he provides mental health care for inmates in the Sacramento County jail system, primarily focusing on treating patients who are declared incompetent to stand trial. Besides providing care at the Sacramento County jail system, Dr. Shumate is a forensic psychiatrist and has expert knowledge in a variety of medico-legal subjects where mental health and the law intersect. Dr. Shumate has qualified as an expert witness in state courts. Areas of expertise include competence to stand trial, mitigation of criminal sentences, and conservatorship assessments.

Research/Academic Interests

Dr. Shumate has lectured on a variety of subjects involving psychiatry and the law, including public systems of care (for example, CARE Court, an outpatient civil commitment procedure in California), LPS conservatorship reform, and other mental health policy topics. Dr. Shumate is involved in several professional organizations in California and nationally. He is on the Board of a state psychiatric association and previously completed a Public Psychiatry Fellowship, sponsored by the American Psychiatric Association. He is interested in improving public systems of care for patients with serious mental illness and/or substance use disorders. He enjoys teaching and has trained dozens of medical students and residents throughout psychiatry residency and forensic psychiatry fellowship. He looks forward to working with trainees and mental health professionals from all disciplines!

Division

Psychiatry and the Law
Forensic Psychiatry