Dr. David Tirschwell, MD
Not yet claimedNeurologist · Physician (MD)
Seattle, WA
Dr. David Tirschwell is a neurologist in Seattle who focuses on stroke and blood vessel problems in the brain. He works within UW Medicine and Harborview Medical Center.
About Dr. David Tirschwell, MD
Updated Sep 20, 2026 · next review Dec 19, 2026Dr. David Tirschwell is a neurologist in Seattle who focuses on stroke care. He is a Professor of Neurology at the University of Washington School of Medicine, Medical Director of the Comprehensive Stroke Center at Harborview Medical Center, and director of the NIH StrokeNet Regional Coordinating Center at UW.
He earned his medical degree from Cornell in 1991 and did both his internal medicine internship and neurology residency at the University of Washington. He is board certified in Neurology and Vascular Neurology and has additional training in epidemiology. His clinical work covers cerebrovascular disease, stroke prevention and treatment, neurocritical care, and general neurology, at UW Medicine hospitals including Harborview, UW Medical Center, and Northwest Hospital.
He was a member of the writing group for the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association 2018 guidelines on early management of acute ischemic stroke, and he is a Fellow of the American Heart Association. He has published research on stroke, including work on intracerebral hemorrhage, stroke during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the ARCADIA clinical trial. He also serves on Washington State's Emergency Cardiac and Stroke Technical Advisory Committee and has spoken publicly about telestroke programs that bring stroke expertise to smaller hospitals.
Federal Open Payments records show he received $5,026.25 from industry across 7 records between 2021 and 2025, mostly from Abbott Laboratories ($3,325), with smaller amounts from Boston Scientific, Medtronic, and Penumbra. Payments like these between doctors and medical companies are common and legal.
- Board certification
- Board certified in Neurology and Vascular Neurology, with additional training in epidemiology. loop.frontiersin.org
- Stroke center director
- Medical Director of the Comprehensive Stroke Center at Harborview Medical Center and Professor of Neurology at the University of Washington School of Medicine. convenehealthcare.com
- National guideline author
- Listed as a writing group member on the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association 2018 Guidelines for the Early Management of Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke, with the FAHA designation. ahajournals.org
- NIH stroke research network
- Named principal investigator for a proposal creating a Washington State Stroke Trials Network, with the UW Stroke Center at Harborview serving as the NIH/NINDS Regional Coordinating Center. grantome.com
- Training at UW
- Completed an internal medicine internship (1991-1992) and neurology residency (1992-1995) at the University of Washington after earning his medical degree from Cornell in 1991. doximity.com
- State stroke advisory role
- Serves on Washington State's Emergency Cardiac and Stroke Technical Advisory Committee. fiercehealthcare.com
- Research publications
- His Google Scholar profile lists a substantial body of published work with keywords including stroke, clinical trials, and intracerebral hemorrhage. scholar.google.com
- Industry payments
- CMS Open Payments shows $5,026.25 across 7 records from 2021 to 2025, led by Abbott Laboratories ($3,325), Boston Scientific ($820), Medtronic ($750), and Penumbra ($131.25). openpaymentsdata.cms.gov
- Telestroke program
- Quoted in an announcement about a UW Medicine telestroke video partnership with Snoqualmie Valley Hospital, saying the program provides resources to that hospital's physicians and patients. snoqualmievalleyhealth.org
Worth knowing
- Some third-party directories (WebMD and Vitals) list him under Emergency Medicine, which conflicts with institutional and board sources that identify him as a neurologist and vascular neurologist. No explanation for the discrepancy was found. doctor.webmd.com
- No disciplinary actions, lawsuits, or criminal matters surfaced in open web searches, but state licensing board and court records were not directly checked. Patients can verify licensure through the Washington State Department of Health Provider Credential Search. doh.wa.gov
- The news review did not confirm any coverage within the last three years; the media items found were undated or older. No negative coverage surfaced. dana.org
Industry payments (CMS Open Payments)
Open the CMS recordFederal law requires drug and device companies to report what they pay clinicians: meals, travel, speaking, consulting, and research. Payments are common and legal; the point is that you can see them.
2021 to 2025
$5,026
7 payments
| 2021 | $750 |
| 2022 | $3,325 |
| 2023 | $0 |
| 2024 | $0 |
| 2025 | $951 |
Top payers
- Abbott Laboratories$3,325
- Boston Scientific Corporation$820
- Medtronic, Inc.$750
- Penumbra, Inc.$131
Payment types
- Consulting Fee$4,145
- Compensation for services other than consulting, including serving as faculty or as a speaker at a venue other than a continuing education program$750
- Food and Beverage$131
A word of caution about these numbers
A payment does not mean your doctor is compromised or acting unethically. Most of these entries are drug samples left for patients, or lunch brought in for the office staff, and the amounts are usually small. Research funding and speaking at medical meetings are also normal parts of a clinical career.
As a rough guide, a total under $15,000 a year is usually not a concern. Much larger sums, especially from one company whose product your doctor recommends to you, are worth asking about. You are allowed to ask.
Sources: loop.frontiersin.org · scholar.google.com · doximity.com · healthgrades.com · health.usnews.com · convenehealthcare.com · grantome.com · ahajournals.org. Something wrong or out of date? Tell us and we will correct it.
Summary prepared with AI assistance from the public sources linked above, reviewed every three months. It is not a review, a rating, or an endorsement.
Practice location
UW Medicine / Harborview Medical Center
Harborview Medical Center
Seattle, WA 98104
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