Dr. Serena Orr

MD, MSc, FRCPC

Pronouns: she/her

Positions

Assistant Professor

Cumming School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics

Assistant Professor

Cumming School of Medicine, Department of Community Health Sciences

Assistant Professor

Cumming School of Medicine, Department of Clinical Neurosciences | Neurology

Adjunct Assistant Professor

Faculty of Arts, Department of Psychology

Full Member

Hotchkiss Brain Institute

Full Member

Mathison Centre for Mental Health Research and Education

Child Health & Wellness Researcher

Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute

Contact information

serena.orr@ucalgary.ca

Web presence

Publications

Dr. Orr's Pediatric Headache Research Lab (PeHRL)

Phone number

Office: 4039557816

Research

Areas of Research

Brain

Determinants of Health

Epidemiology

Health Outcomes

Pain

Activities

Dr. Serena Orr is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Community Health Sciences, and Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Calgary and an attending Pediatric Neurologist at the Alberta Children's Hospital. She is a clinician-scientist and is Principal Investigator of the Pediatric Headache Research Lab (www.pehrl.ca). She also directs the Pediatric Headache Program in the Section of Neurology at ACH. Her main research interest is in furthering our understanding of migraine in children and adolescents. Specifically, she is interested in improving our knowledge of how to optimize acute migraine treatment, both at home and in the emergency department. She leads clinical trials and is interested in novel neuromodulation and technology-based solutions for treating migraine. Dr. Orr is also interested in the relationship between migraine and mental health (i.e. symptoms of anxiety and depression) and in how this relationship may help us to better understand migraine etiology and biology.

Participation in university strategic initiatives

Brain and mental health

Child health and wellness

Awards

Department of Pediatrics Rising Star Award, Cumming School of Medicine. 2023
Pediatric Postgraduate Medical Education Clinical Teacher Recognition (2016-2021) Gold Lego Award, Cumming School of Medicine. 2022
American Academy of Neurology Emerging Leaders Program , American Academy of Neurology. 2023
Haslam Pediatric Neurology Teaching Award, Haslam Chair in Pediatric Neurology. 2021
American Headache Society Emerging Leaders Program , American Headache Society. 2020

Publications

Google Scholar

In the News

Association of anxiety and depressive symptoms, disorders and migraine in pediatric patients. Consultant 360. (2023)
The untapped opportunity to better understand migraine in children and adolescents: a podcast with Serena Orr. Migraine Science Collaborative. (2023)
Children with migraine at high risk of comorbid anxiety, depression. Medscape. (2022)
Anxiety and depression in children and adolescents with migraine. Neurology Live. (2022)
A new prospective study documents a direct relationship between ACEs and migraine, independent of depression or anxiety. Migraine Science Collaborative. (2022)
Why isn't my child's migraine treatment plan working?. American Migraine Foundation. (2022)
Stress and peak pain severity in chronic migraine. Touch Neurology. (2021)
Calgary weather getting to your head? You could blame chinooks. CBC EyeOpener. (2021)
The unique demands of childhood migraine. Nature Outlook. (2020)