Chandrika Shankar M.D

Bio

Chandrika Shankar M.D., is a double board-certified psychiatrist, practicing general psychiatry and forensic psychiatry for the past 15 years. She completed her psychiatry residency training from Mount Sinai (Cabrini) Medical Center in 2007 and Forensic Psychiatry Fellowships from Yale University in 2008. Since then, she has had varied experience in civil and criminal forensic matters that include testamentary capacity, guardianship, involuntary treatment, capacity to stand trial, extreme emotional disturbance, and evaluations pertaining to mitigation and insanity assessments.

For eight years, Dr. Shankar worked as a Consulting Forensic Psychiatrist for the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) in Connecticut. During that time, her primary role was overseeing patients who had been deemed not guilty by reason of insanity (NGRI). In that capacity, she worked with primary treatment teams in the state facility conducting risk management assessments, providing guidance for safe transition of patients to the community, while balancing the legal requirement, patient rights and public safety. She testified in front of Psychiatry Security Review Board (PSRB) and Superior Court on a regular basis, updating the courts of patients’ progress. As a consultant, she also performed numerus risk management consultations for challenging patients in various hospitals across the state. She was also a faculty member of the forensic fellowship where she trained and supervised forensic fellows. Dr. Shankar later held the position of Residency Training Director for Creighton Psychiatry Department in Phoenix. During that time, she was a consultant forensic psychiatrist for the Tribal Court in Maricopa County and performed capacity to stand trial evaluations. She also had a forensic private practice performing civil evaluations such as testamentary capacity assessments, capacity to consent for marriage and need for guardianship.

Since moving to Chicago, Dr. Shankar has held numerous leadership positions in clinical and academic settings. She is closely involved with the teaching and training of medical students and residents. She currently serves as the medical director of the inpatient psychiatric unit and is a faculty member of the forensic fellowship at Northwestern.