Dr. Danielle Whalen’s medical career began at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science with Honors in Psychobiology and a minor in Neuroscience in 2011. During her undergraduate studies, she served as a Research Assistant in the Lieberman Social Cognitive Neuroscience Lab and as a mentor for Project Brainstorm. Following her undergraduate degree, she worked as a Clinical Intern and Research Assistant at the UCLA Shieh Neurophysiology Lab from 2011 to 2012.

Dr. Whalen then attended Albany Medical College, earning her Medical Degree in 2016. While in medical school, she demonstrated strong leadership by founding and serving as President of the Student Interest Group in Neurology, alongside holding presidential roles for the Pediatric Interest Group, the American Medical Women’s Association, and the American Medical Association chapters.

Following medical school, she completed her Pediatric Residency Training Program as a Resident Physician at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) from 2016 to 2018. She subsequently pursued her Child Neurology Residency at UCSD between 2018 and 2021, ultimately serving as the Child Neurology Chief Resident during her final year. During her medical training, she obtained her active California State Medical License and Drug Enforcement Administration License in 2018.

Since 2021, Dr. Whalen has practiced as an Attending Pediatric Neurologist and Pediatric Subspecialty Faculty member at the Children’s Hospital of Orange County, and she also serves as an Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of California, Irvine. Her clinical interests include general neurology, neurogenomics, multidisciplinary care, and telemedicine. Between 2021 and 2023, she served as the Principal Investigator for two Phase 3 Biohaven protocol studies assessing rimegepant for the acute treatment of migraines in children and adolescents. Deeply involved in her institution, Dr. Whalen has served as the Neurology Division Wellness and Social Chair since 2022 and currently participates as a committee member for Neurology Improvements in Clinical Efficiency (NICE). She maintains active professional memberships with the Child Neurology Society, the American Academy of Neurology, and the American Academy of Pediatrics.