Kathleen S. Irby, MD

Dr. Katie Irby was born in raised in Nebraska, where she also attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for her undergraduate education and then attended the University of Nebraska Medical Center for medical school. Through volunteering during these early experiences, she discovered a passion for end-of-life care as well as for the care of children and adolescents. She was able to combine her interests with a residency in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics and was thrilled to match to the University of Utah Med-Peds program. During residency, Dr. Irby continued to cultivate an interest in Palliative Medicine and also discovered a frequently unmet need for many patients- support through the transition from pediatric care to adult care for patients with chronic diseases of childhood. Dr. Irby completed additional fellowship training to pursue these areas of interest, first in Houston, TX with a fellowship in Adult Developmental Medicine (care of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) from childhood) and then with a fellowship in Hospice and Palliative Medicine back at the University of Utah. Dr. Irby now works as an Assistant Professor in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at the University of Utah and Primary Children’s Hospital, splitting her time between pediatric complex care and adult Palliative Medicine and adult developmental disabilities. She is growing the new ADMAT clinic (Adult Developmental Medicine and Transition), focused on providing comprehensive primary care for adults with IDD. Dr. Irby is able to support individuals with IDD as they navigate transitioning from pediatric to adult care systems and provide comprehensive primary care for individuals who meet criteria for the ADMAT clinic. She is also able to support adults with serious and chronic health problems through subspecialty care in Palliative Medicine.