JillianLeeIrwinMDMPH(She/Her)

Summary

• Dr. Irwin is a board-certified Internal Medicine physician and public health specialist. As Medical Director of the Cherokee County Health Department, she functions as primary care physician, clinical preceptor and local government administrator. Dr. Irwin also serves Erlanger Western Carolina Hospital part-time as hospitalist and utilization review physician advisor.
  
  She received her undergraduate degree from Harvard University, majoring in the social and cognitive neuroscience track of psychology with an academic focus on global health and medical anthropology. She also studied physiology, anatomy, and medical communication at Universidad de Chile Medical School in Santiago, Chile.
  
  While in medical school, Dr. Irwin completed her Master of Public Health degree. Her MPH field experience involved researching best practices in the provision of primary care for refugees. For her capstone project, she performed a quality improvement study of a student-run free clinic using Community-Based Participatory Research methodology .
  
  Dr. Irwin completed a residency in internal medicine at Johns Hopkins University, during which time she served as a Trustee to the Board of the Maryland Medical Society and was resident leader and community liaison for the Johns Hopkins Medicine for the Greater Good Initiative.
  
  Dr. Irwin has a demonstrated interest in mental health, population health and health policy. Prior to medical school, Dr. Irwin served as a peer counselor for Harvard university students and later as a court-contracted family therapist. She also worked on research studies of a psychosocial (Interpersonal and Social Rhythm) therapy for bipolar disorder and the electrophysiologic effects of childhood abuse on the brain.
  
  Dr. Irwin has developed a niche providing a holistic approach to complex care management for individuals struggling with both physical and mental illness, and for immigrants. She speaks fluent English, Spanish, and Italian.