Dr. Shumaker was born in Charleston, SC. As part of a military family, she moved frequently as a young child, spending some time in Europe before settling in Florida. Dr. Shumaker has always had an intense love of animals, declaring at the age of 11 that she wanted to be a veterinarian, despite her parents’ concerns of her allergies with pets. At the age of 14, she started working as a veterinary technician on weekends and during school breaks.
Dr. Shumaker received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and Chemistry from Stetson University and a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Florida in 2001. Because of her strong interest in dermatology during veterinary school, her program included additional dermatology clinical rotations. She completed a one-year internship at VCA South Shore Animal Hospital, a large referral, emergency and general practice hospital south of Boston, and continued as an associate there for another three years. Difficult dermatological cases were often scheduled for her since her colleagues were not as enthusiastic to treat skin cases as she was.
Being a chronic allergy sufferer herself, she has a strong interest in diagnosing and treating allergies in companion animals. She often refers to herself when describing the type of response clients should expect with allergy testing and desensitization therapy. Dr. Shumaker has a strong interest in treating ear disease and is very experienced with video-otoscopy and laser procedures.
Dr. Shumaker began her residency in veterinary dermatology at Dermatology for Animals in August 2005 and achieved board certification in August 2008. Her residency project on acral lick dermatitis was published in Veterinary Dermatology, the American and European veterinary dermatology journal. Dr. Shumaker has additionally been active in performing clinical trials for drug and research companies. She has given numerous lectures to interns and at continuing education meetings for general practitioners. Dr. Shumaker currently services the Tucson and Phoenix area practices as well as the Los Angeles practice.
Her animal family includes Scully, a very vocal mixed breed that she rescued during veterinary school, and Pete, a fantastic Jack Russell Terrier that was rescued by her husband. Dr. Shumaker enjoys traveling, hiking (with the hounds, of course) and cooking (when she has the time, that is!).
