Richard A. Shadoan, MD Obituary
~Written by Dr. Larry Lurie
Richard A. Shadoan, MD died on December 27, 2024, at the age of 94. He will be missed by the many people who worked with him at NCPS, CPA and APA.
Dick started his life as an orphan, who was adopted and grew up in Billings, Montana, as an outdoorsman, and as a starting quarterback for the University. He served in the Army in Germany, where he met and married his wife, Antje. He went to medical school there, and then he came to the United States to begin his internship and a psychiatric residency at Mt. Zion Hospital in San Francisco. The Shadoans had two children, Tonya and Daniel, who are married and have adult children with active lives in San Francisco.
After residency, Dr. Shadoan went into private practice in San Francisco until he retired when he was 85 years old. What he was known for and appreciated was his active role in improving the care for the seriously mentally ill. Through coalition and alliances, he has worked to change the way that the ill have served. He devoted his professional life to the to the task and we can be proud of the successes has achieved in his lifetime.
Before describing the public professional life of Dr. Shadoan, it important to begin in the private area of his clinical work as a psychiatric physician. In private practice since 1966, Dr. Shadoan has been the primary physician for hundreds of patients with schizophrenia, major depression, and bipolar disorders. Although his original psychiatric orientation was psychoanalytic, he has gradually broadened his therapeutic style towards combining psychodynamic with biological approaches. Additionally, in working with patients, he educated them about their illness, how to live with it, and where appropriate, closely monitored their medication and frequently collaborates with their families. His patients connected with his constancy, his easy accessibility, and good judgment.
Dr. Shadoan’s participation in organized psychiatry has been extensive. He was Treasurer and then President of NCPS in 1983-1984. He became an Assembly Representative (1984-88) and then moved on to become Vice President (1988-90) and then President of the California Psychiatric Association (1990-92). His years of service to CPA included the consolidation of our relationship with the California Coalition for Mental Health. “Building bridges,” “Partnership,” and “Alliance Building” were key phrases that he used in his years as President. He encouraged us to collaborate with other mental health providers, with patient advocacy groups, with legislators, employers and members of the insurance industry “who share our goal of working to improve the care of mentally disordered patients.” And Dick Shadoan led us in that direction. He was constantly communicating, cajoling, encouraging others to make changes that would improve treatment. At the same time, he strengthened and articulated our identities as psychiatrists who could understand the larger picture in a way that no other professional could contemplate.
Following his term as President of CPA, Dr. Shadoan returned to San Francisco where he became San Francisco Chapter President. His presence was immediately felt. He was active in forming the San Francisco Mental Health Coalition which in less than one year has become the strongest voice in San Francisco in speaking against budget cuts for the mentally ill. He met with the mayor, members of the Board of Supervisors, members of the Health Commission. He began the process of moving them to a better understanding of issues around managed care, realignment, and budget priorities. His theme again is “that we get the best care for the severely mentally ill when we have a close working relationship between the private and public sectors. In a good working system, they are interdependent and cost-effective.”
I also remember that Dick organized psychiatrists in private practice to make home visits to patients living in Board and Care Homes that were well managed. I still remember four homes that I visited, none of which exist anymore. Sad.
Returning to the national scene, Dr. Shadoan was elected Area VI Trustee to the American Psychiatric Association in 1995 and he served for about a dozen years.
Dr. Shadoan had always found room for his teaching and for UCSF committee work. From his initial affiliation with Langley Porter in 1966, he has taught residents at Langley Porter and Mt. Zion. For many years, he ran continuous case conferences. For several years he became involved in policy as member of the Council of the Association for Clinical Faculty, UCSF. He was also Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry’s Clinical Faculty Advisory Committee.
Another of Dr. Shadoan’s innovations was the establishment of the San Francisco Psychiatric Affiliates to serve as a private-public partnership in treating the severely mentally ill. This independent practice association (IPA) was established in 1994 for the purpose of becoming the core program for MediCal managed mental health care in San Francisco. A Board of Directors of 23 psychiatrists was instituted, representing all the major psychiatric institutions in San Francisco. The San Francisco Medical Society performed the administrative functions. Approximately 50 psychiatrists who have served the severely and chronically mentally ill MediCal patients have been credentialed by the IPA, which, unfortunately also closed a decade ago.
Those of us who knew Dr. Shadoan will miss him greatly but will always appreciate the many things he has done over the years to improve our profession and our treatment of patients.
Larry Lurie