Dr. Dianne Shumay
About me
I am a clinical psychologist specializing in behavioral medicine, pain psychology, psycho-oncology, and digital health strategy.
My work focuses on helping people navigate chronic pain, cancer, fatigue, sleep disruption, caregiving, grief, and complex medical illness.
I also advise healthcare, digital health, and biotech organizations on clinical strategy, behavioral intervention design, patient engagement, and implementation.
Pain Psychology | Psycho-Oncology | ACT-Based Behavioral Medicine | Digital Health Strategy
Expertise &
experience
Education
I completed my masters degree at Stanford University and my PhD at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. I also completed clinical training at University of Florida and the University of Oxford in the UK. I am fellowship trained in palliative care from the VA Palo Alto.
Experience
I was the founding psychologist and director of the UCSF Psycho-Oncology program. During my 16 years at UCSF, I provided thousands of hours of direct patient care, led supportive care teams and initiatives to advance psychosocial and palliative care, conducted research, developed innovative patient-centered programs and educated students and fellows.
Since 2022, I have worked with leading digital health companies to develop empathic virtual care solutions for people living with pain, cancer, and fibromyalgia.
With nearly 20 years of clinical experience, I have supported patients and family members facing a wide range of challenges related to pain, cancer and serious illness.
Licensing
I am licensed in the states of California, Texas, Ohio, and Michigan. (CA #21198, TX #40125, OH #P.08596, MI #6301019445)
Specializations
My areas of expertise include pain psychology, psycho-oncology, and digital health strategy.
Approach
My approach is grounded in evidence-based behavioral medicine, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, cognitive-behavioral approaches, and a deep understanding of how illness affects identity, relationships, work, meaning, and quality of life.