Associate Professor of Neurology
University of Texas at Austin, Dell Children's Medical Center
Dr. Sam Irwin (MSc, MB BCh BAO, FRCPC) is a board-certified pediatric neurologist and headache specialist working as an Assistant Professor of Neurology in the Child & Adolescent Headache Program at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). She specializes in caring for children and adolescents with various headache disorders, including pediatric patients with post-traumatic headache.
Dr. Irwin’s research focuses on clinical trials evaluating potential new treatments for headache disorders in children and adolescents. In addition to various medication trials, she is currently investigating the role of structured exercise as part of a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach to treating pediatric headaches. Dr. Irwin is also interested in exploring the integration of technology and medicine, specifically as it relates to mTBI diagnostics and prevention, pain reduction through the use of virtual reality (VR), and neuromodulation for the management of headache.
Irwin earned a bachelor's degree in neuroscience at Dalhousie University and a master's degree in neuropsychology at Maastricht University. She earned her medical degree at the School of Medicine Trinity College Dublin. She then completed a residency in pediatric neurology at the University of Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children, followed by a fellowship in headache neurology at UCSF.
Irwin belongs to the American Academy of Neurology, Child Neurology Society, American Headache Society, Canadian Headache Society, International Headache Academy, and International Child Neurology Association.
A native of Toronto, Irwin moved to San Francisco in 2016. She has embraced the Bay Area's many opportunities for travel, adventure, and sport, and when not at the hospital, you can most certainly find her on a golf course.