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Risako Shirane, MD, MSc

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Assistant Professor
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Additional Titles

Affiliated Faculty, Yale Institute for Global Health

About

Titles

Assistant Professor

Affiliated Faculty, Yale Institute for Global Health

Biography

Dr. Shirane is a board-certified neurologist and headache specialist. She completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Toronto and Master's Science degree in Public Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in the UK prior to completing her medical degree at Kobe University School of Medicine in Japan. She worked as a clinical fellow at the US Naval Hospital in Yokosuka, Japan before moving to the US to complete a medical intern year and neurology residency at Mount Sinai Beth Israel/West in New York City. She was appointed and served as chief resident in her final year of residency. She furthered her neurology training through subspecialty fellowship in headache medicine at Yale before joining the Department of Neurology as faculty. She is passionate about caring for patients living with headache disorders and is actively engaged in advocacy efforts to shed light on the impact headache disorders have on our society. Until recently, Dr. Shirane served on the editorial board of Headache, the official journal of the American Headache Society, as Assistant Editor. She currently serves as a committee member for the Global Campaign Against Headache, a global collaborative partnership between the World Health Organization, non-governmental organizations and academic institutions tasked to improve health care for those with headache worldwide.

Last Updated on September 11, 2025.

Appointments

Other Departments & Organizations

Education & Training

Headache Fellow
Yale School of Medicine (2023)
Neurology Resident
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (Mount Sinai West) (2022)
Medicine Intern
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (Mount Sinai Beth Israel) (2019)
MD
Kobe University School of Medicine (2017)
MSc
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Public Health (2010)
BSc (Hon)
University of Toronto, Global Health (2009)

Research

Overview

Public Health Interests

Non-Communicable Diseases; Global Health; Health Equity, Disparities, Social Determinants and Justice; Health Policy; Stigma and Discrimination

Research at a Glance

Publications Timeline

A big-picture view of Risako Shirane's research output by year.
11Publications
51Citations

Publications

Featured Publications

2022

2021

2020

2019

2016

Academic Achievements & Community Involvement

Activities

  • activity

    American Academy of Neurology

  • activity

    American Headache Society

  • activity

    International Headache Society

  • activity

    The Global Campaign Committee

  • activity

    Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain

Honors

  • honor

    Alpha Omega Alpha

Clinical Care

Overview

Risako Shirane, MD, MSc, is a board-certified neurologist and headache specialist. She focuses on helping people with recurring or chronic headaches using a variety of approaches to find relief and improve their quality of life.

As an assistant professor at Yale School of Medicine, Dr. Shirane teaches medical students, neurology residents, and fellows. She also advocates for better understanding of headache disorders to expand access to effective treatments. In addition to patient care, Dr. Shirane currently serves on the editorial board of Headache, the official journal of the American Headache Society, as assistant editor.

Dr. Shirane completed her medical training at Kobe University School of Medicine in Japan, followed by a neurology residency at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She then completed a fellowship in headache medicine at Yale School of Medicine.

Clinical Specialties

Neurology; Headache

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Contacts

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