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Debra M O'Donnell, MD

expertise

brain tumors, dysautonomia, headaches

bio

Debra O’Donnell, MD is a pediatric neurologist at Dayton Children’s Hospital. Dr. O’Donnell was born and raised in Indiana. She completed her medical school education at Indiana University. Following graduation, Dr. O’Donnell joined the internship program at Riley Hospital for Children – IU Health in Indiana. She then went on to Baylor College of Medicine where she completed her residency in child neurology and fellowship in epilepsy. Dr. O’Donnell is board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology with special qualifications in child neurology. 

She has a special interest in caring for pediatric patients with epilepsy/seizures and chronic headaches. 

Dr. O’Donnell’s favorite thing about working with kids is their capacity for healing and a generally good sense of humor.  

Outside of work Dr. O’Donnell enjoys visiting and traveling with her husband, her own grown kids, and their extended families, playing with her dogs and celebrating college basketball every chance! 

schedule an appointment

If your child is an existing patient, log in to MyKidsChart to schedule directly with your provider for follow-up care.

If you are new to the Dayton Children’s neurology clinic, use the online scheduling tool below to schedule an appointment. New patient appointments must be done in person. To schedule by phone call 937-641-4000

conditions you can schedule for:

  • Headaches and migraine
  • General neurology - developmental delays, numbness/tingling, weakness, ataxia (unsteady gait), hyper/hypotonia
  • Movement disorders - tics, Tourette's syndrome, tremors, chorea, clonus, dystonia

If your child needs to be seen for epilepsy/seizures or another condition not listed as an option for online scheduling, please call 937-641-4000 to schedule an appointment.

education and training

  • medical school: Indiana University
  • internship: Riley Hospital for Children - IU Health
  • residency: Baylor College of Medicine - child neurology
  • fellowship: Baylor College of Medicine - epilepsy
  • board certification: American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology with special qualifications in child neurology

awards, honors and organizations

  • awards:
    • 1999-2000 KCMS Faculty Teaching Award
    • EFA Flame of Hope Award, November 2003
  • organization member:
    • American Academy of Neurology
    • Child Neurology Society
    • American Epilepsy Society

get to know me

I chose my specialty because...

I really enjoyed learning about the details of neuroanatomy, neurochemistry and how it all fits together in a somewhat predictable way while at the same time being the foundation of each of our own individual uniqueness. To see the book work and lab work translated into helping patients overcome abnormalities in the nervous system, brought the human aspect to the science of medicine and made the "puzzle solving" a more personal endeavor.

I like working with kids because...

while I don't like seeing children become ill or suffer, I have found that their spirit and resilience is inspiring. I've also observed (and as a parent experienced first hand) how much more motivated adults may be in seeking help for their child over themselves. We should all take care of our own health but partnering with highly motivated parents and being inspired by patients that are children brings extra energy to any problem and helps us strategize as a team in our quest for healing.

I chose to work at Dayton Children's because...

I was immediately impressed by the focus on the patient and emphasis on quality care. The field of medicine has grown so complex and requires a substantial group of well trained professionals to implement a plan. I found a real sense of team spirit and patient prioritization from everyone I met at Dayton Children's Hospital.

Dayton Children's is special because...

there is a real commitment to providing quality care to the children of the community it serves. The patients, parents, technicians, nurses, physicians, etc are also neighbors and fellow citizens. There is a real spirit of taking good care of "our own backyard" and the children playing in it.

ratings and reviews

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Comments

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In the seven years of working with various doctors and therapists, I have never had a doctor that sat and listened and shared their experience and personal things with us and really truly listened to everything that we had to say. And I felt like she truly understood and truly got our situation. And I'm really looking forward to partnering with her to help my child grow and develop to the best of her ability.

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It did take about an hour for Dr O'Donnell to come to our room, but she was amazing. Very thorough and well educated. She didn't rush the appointment and listened to all of our concerns. She created a great care plan that we all felt comfortable with. It was our first visit and as the mother, I was anxious to see how it would go. But she did AMAZING! So glad we scheduled with her.

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This doctor was very good with answering our questions and very good with talking to our child and fully involved all of us in the discussions about his treatment and care.

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We waited 40 minutes past our appointment time to be seen. If there was something causing the delay, we were never told anything. We just sat in the waiting room and, well, waited. I can have a lot more patience if I know the doc is dealing with an emergency of some sort, but when we are just left alone in the waiting room, I get grumpy and the rest of my other obligations suffer.

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