Irwin’s Story

With a wide range of hands-on experiences - including running a health center in one of America’s most impoverished rural counties, working for USA for Africa, the international humanitarian initiative that brought together musical legends including Harry Belafonte and Paul Simon, working in the White House assigned to president Bill Clinton’s Task Force on Health Care Reform, building a state-of -the-art children’s hospital at Montefiore in the Bronx, running a pediatric intensive care unit, and founding a non-profit organization to help children in poverty - Irwin brings an extensive background of knowledge and expertise to the table.

His experiences as a pediatrician give him first-hand insight into the specific needs and challenges vulnerable populations face. His direct experience addressing major disasters makes him a national leader in preparedness, response, and recovery. In addition, he has consulted extensively with local, state, and federal officials and agencies in his areas of expertise.

Working with resilient children who dream big - regardless of the adversities they face - has made him a political figure fighting to ensure that every child has a successful trajectory that entails access to good health care and high-quality education.

In 1987, in response to the critical unmet medical needs of children in homeless shelters, Irwin founded the Children’s Health Fund in New York City along with Karen Redlener and legendary singer-songwriter Paul Simon. They launched the first “big blue bus” - a specially designed, self-contained pediatric mobile medical clinic equipped with two examining rooms, a registration and waiting area, a nurse's station, and a room for medical procedures.

Over the next 30 years, the Children’s Health Fund would grow to a fleet of more than 50 mobile clinics serving nearly 300,000 kids and family members each year in poor rural and urban communities across America.

Irwin currently serves as a Public Health Analyst for MSNBC and is frequently on programs such as the 11th Hour, Deadline White House with Nicolle Wallace, Katy Tur, Zerlina on Peacock, and more, discussing the Russian Ukraine crisis, COVID-19, children and disasters, public health, science, and policy. He is a prolific writer and serves as a columnist for The Daily Beast. Irwin is a go-to resource for a variety of media outlets and platforms -- including radio talk shows and newspapers such as The New York Times and The Washington Post – providing insights about how institutions and society can best prepare for times of crises, evaluating our nation’s resiliency and readiness, and promoting best practices on managing recovery after a disaster.

In addition to his roles with the media, he is an Adjunct Senior Research Scholar at Columbia University’s School for International and Public Affairs, as well as the Founding Director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University.

Redlener is co-founder (along with Karen Redlener) of the Ukraine Children's Action Project (www.UCAP.help), which was founded in May 2022 in response to the displacement of children and families consequent to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. UCAP focuses on supporting the educational continuity and mental health of displaced children in Ukraine and Poland. Dr. Redlener also supports Ukraine as a Senior Advisor to the Clinton Global Initiative's Ukraine Action Network.

Irwin is the author of “The Future of US: What the Dreams of Children Mean for 21st Century America” (Columbia University Press), which earned the 2020 Gold Nautilus Book Award. He is also the author of “Americans At Risk: Why We Are Not Prepared for Megadisasters and What We Can Do Now” (Knopf).