Samantha Irwin

Dr. Samantha Irwin is a pediatric neurologist who specializes in caring for children and adolescents with headache disorders. These include migraine, new daily persistent headache, tension-type headache and the trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias, a condition characterized by relatively short bouts of pain and other symptoms on one side of the head.

Irwin also treats pediatric patients with concussions and post-traumatic headache.

Irwin's research focuses on clinical trials evaluating potential new treatments for headache disorders in children and adolescents. In addition to medication trials, she is investigating the role of structured exercise as part of a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach to treating pediatric headaches.

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 2017. She has embraced the Bay Area's many opportunities for travel, adventure and sport, and has become a San Francisco Giants fan.