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Kathleen S. Irby
( out of 70 reviews )

Kathleen S. Irby, MD

Languages spoken: English

Clinical Locations

Primary Location

Sugar House Health Center

1280 E. Stringham Avenue
Salt Lake City , UT 84106

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.

Board Certification

American Board of Internal Medicine (Internal Medicine)
American Board of Pediatrics (Pediatrics)

Patient Rating

Patients consistently describe Dr. Irby as caring, patient, and empathetic, noting that she listens attentively and explains care options thoroughly. Reviewers highlight her clinical knowledge, clear communication, and skill managing medically complex and special-needs adult patients, including coordinating referrals and addressing multiple issues in a single visit. Virtual appointments are described as productive and comfortable, and many say she makes patients and families feel heard and supported.

Generated via Patient Reviews

5.0 /5
( out of 70 reviews )

The patient rating score is an average of all responses on our patient experience survey. The rating averages scores for all questions about care from our providers. The scale on which responses are measured is 1 to 5 with 5 being the best score.


May 04, 2026
SUGAR HOUSE HEALTH CENTER

She is great!

Apr 28, 2026
SUGAR HOUSE HEALTH CENTER

Dr. Irbil is great with our special needs 36 year old daughter. Great manner.

Mar 19, 2026
SUGAR HOUSE HEALTH CENTER

Dr Irby is the best! I am thankful she spends time to discuss and help with our needs.

Feb 28, 2026
SUGAR HOUSE HEALTH CENTER

Dr. Irby always makes me feel like both my mental and physical condition are important to her. I appreciate having her as my palliative care doctor.

Jan 07, 2026
SUGAR HOUSE HEALTH CENTER

If you have an adult child with a disability, Dr. Irby is a breath of fresh air. She is wholeheartedly committed to her calling as a doctor for adults with disabilities and clearly has a passion for it. My daughter loves her.

Dec 31, 2025
SUGAR HOUSE HEALTH CENTER

Doctor Irby is a Pleasant person with a kind and patient attitude!! She explains any and All questions Very well!! If all things are not answered she schedules another appointment to continue. She generally wants you to be informed and completely understand the decisions you need to make. Se realizes this is a Difficult subject and tries to make it as easy as possible on you as the we Patient. I was Very Impressed with her!! Thank you Dr. Irby and I look forward to our next meeting...

Dec 21, 2025
SUGAR HOUSE HEALTH CENTER

A great doctor/person The University Health is lucky to have her on staff

Dec 20, 2025
SUGAR HOUSE HEALTH CENTER

Kathleen Irby is an extremely caring person. She takes the time to listen and address all questions and concerns. I feel that she cares about me personally.

Dec 13, 2025
SUGAR HOUSE HEALTH CENTER

Dr. Irby is a very caring person. She takes the time to answer any questions and to get to me and my concerns.

Nov 28, 2025
SUGAR HOUSE HEALTH CENTER

Is patient in asking, in explaining, and in arriving at a decision that is appropriate for me and my care. She involves me in my care.

Nov 12, 2025
SUGAR HOUSE HEALTH CENTER

she was great, listened to my concerns

Oct 29, 2025
SUGAR HOUSE HEALTH CENTER

I am seeing Dr. Irby for palliative care. She seems to understand the pain I have and wants to be sure I am able to do the things that matter to me. I believe she cares.

Oct 12, 2025
SUGAR HOUSE HEALTH CENTER

Dr.Irby is kind, thoughtful, and competent. Her expertise with medically complex individuals has been so helpful to me as a parent of a medically complex adult child. She even understands the role of a caregiver and uses a whole health approach when working with us.

Sep 28, 2025
SUGAR HOUSE HEALTH CENTER

Dr. Irby is very knowledgeable in her specialty, makes patients feel comfortable

Sep 18, 2025
SUGAR HOUSE HEALTH CENTER

A very caring doctor. She took time to explain things and never made us feel rushed.

Aug 18, 2025
SUGAR HOUSE HEALTH CENTER

I don't even know where to start! Dr. Irby showed myself and my daughter a level of care that we should all expect and hope for from a new doctor. My daughter had an embarrassing and unexpected 'health issue' in the middle of her new patient visit last week and Dr Irby acted like it was absolutely no big deal at all. (Trust me, it was a BIG deal.) she was kind and helpful in every way possible. We will absolutely recommend her and unfortunately for her, we will continue to see her for as long as we are able to.

Jun 05, 2025
SUGAR HOUSE HEALTH CENTER

Dr Irby is understanding and knowledgeable is is genuinely concerned about the care of her patients.

May 19, 2025
SUGAR HOUSE HEALTH CENTER

Thank you for your care and concern, you are an excellent provider.

Apr 25, 2025
SUGAR HOUSE HEALTH CENTER

Dr Irby is Amazing, her caring manner and ability to pinpoint issues and remain connected to her patients is wonderful. Highly recommend!

Apr 13, 2025
SUGAR HOUSE HEALTH CENTER

Dr. Irby is very caring and patient.

Apr 03, 2025
SUGAR HOUSE HEALTH CENTER

I saw Dr. Irby virtually. She is easy to talk to and tries to help any way she can.

Mar 22, 2025
SUGAR HOUSE HEALTH CENTER

I always like Dr Irby. She addressed my leaking G tube. Made me feel less worried.

Mar 18, 2025
SUGAR HOUSE HEALTH CENTER

Tired of trying to navigate complex medical care for your disabled, special needs adult all on your own? Dr. Irby, at the AD-MAT clinic, has become our amazing wheelhouse for directing and managing medical needs quickly and efficiently. We love the fact that she knows who is best to see for referrals and that she can address multiple medical issues all in one appointment. Her kindness, patience, and attention to the ever so important details that keep our disabled adult healthy make appointments doable and worthwhile. We are so thankful for Dr. Irby and the niche she is able to fill for adult patients with disabilities. We love you Dr. Irby.

Mar 01, 2025
SUGAR HOUSE HEALTH CENTER

Dr. Irby makes me feel very comfortable. She's kind and caring. She is trying to help me with pain I've suffered with for years.

Feb 13, 2025
SUGAR HOUSE HEALTH CENTER

It was the first time I met her and it was a wonderful surprise. I was a little nervous and she put me at ease.

Jan 15, 2025
SUGAR HOUSE HEALTH CENTER

Dr. Irby is very patient, kind and observant.

Oct 22, 2024
SUGAR HOUSE HEALTH CENTER

Dr Irby listened, and asked thoughtful questions of me

Jun 27, 2024
SUGAR HOUSE HEALTH CENTER

I feel like Dr Irby genuinely cared about me and my specific needs. She listened, was non judgmental and allowed me to make the decisions regarding treatment options.

Jun 23, 2024
SUGAR HOUSE HEALTH CENTER

Dr. Irby was amazing! She was very patient and I never felt rushed. My son is very complicated and she came into the appointment saying that she had already reviewed his history and had some questions. It made me feel well cared for. We left the appointment feeling like we were in wonderful hands.

Jun 23, 2024
SUGAR HOUSE HEALTH CENTER

She is fantastic, so easy to discuss issues, thoughts, and educated me concerning issue unknown to me....will be a patient of hers

Jun 22, 2024
SUGAR HOUSE HEALTH CENTER

Amazingly productive virtual appointment with an extremely skilled empathetic medical practitioner- if not handled the right way, the topic of palliative care could be uncomfortable. not at all so with Dr. IRBY. Highly recommend

May 12, 2024
SUGAR HOUSE HEALTH CENTER

She is a true professional ¿ excellent exchange of mutual views.

Mar 06, 2024
SUGAR HOUSE HEALTH CENTER

Dr Irby is the consummate professional, concerned, attentive, detailed, focused on outcomes. I couldn't ask for a better medical advocate for my loved one.

Feb 28, 2024
SUGAR HOUSE HEALTH CENTER

I am so impressed with Dr. Irby. She was kind and attentive, helpful and knowledgeable. She thoroughly addressed all our concerns and spent time explaining and discussing our issues. She is very knowledgeable and I am so grateful to find such an amazing Doctor.

Nov 22, 2023
SUGAR HOUSE HEALTH CENTER

Top notch

Oct 28, 2023
SUGAR HOUSE HEALTH CENTER

Dr. Irby has is the best doctor and has managed to change my thoughts on doctors and the medical community as a whole. She is a rare gem in a pile of cubic zirconia.

Oct 05, 2023
SUGAR HOUSE HEALTH CENTER

Dr. Irby truly cares for her patients and shows her compassion at every turn. I was at the point where I had given up and said I would never trust a doctor again. She is slowly changing my perception and helping me see there are still good doctors left in this world.

Aug 21, 2023
SUGAR HOUSE HEALTH CENTER

Dr. Irby was very nice and kind. She was very interested in getting a good understanding of my son's health status and needs. It was a very pleasant experience.


Patient comments are gathered from our patient experience survey and displayed in their entirety. For the convenience of our visitors, some patient comments have been translated from their original language into English while preserving their original meaning as accurately as possible. Patients are de-identified for confidentiality and patient privacy.

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.

Board Certification and Academic Information

Academic Departments Internal Medicine -Assistant Professor (Clinical)
Pediatrics -Adjunct Assistant Professor
Academic Divisions General Medicine
Board Certification
American Board of Internal Medicine (Internal Medicine)
American Board of Pediatrics (Pediatrics)

Education history

Undergraduate Nutrition Science - University of Nebraska¿Lincoln B.S.
Professional Medical Medicine - University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Medicine M.D.
Residency Internal Medicine-Pediatrics - University of Utah School of Medicine Resident
Fellowship Adult Developmental Medicine - Baylor College of Medicine Fellow
Fellowship Hospice and Palliative Medicine - University of Utah School of Medicine Fellow