Migraine and headache seminars will be held online for all Australians by an expert or headache specialist. Each session will include a discussion on a particular topic followed by live audience Q&A. Throughout the week several topics and articles on migraine and headache will also be released. See below for the schedule.

#MakeMigraineMatter

#MakeMigraineMatter is about recognising that migraine is a legitimate neurological condition. It’s much more than just a bad headache. Until it is treated seriously low diagnosis rates will persist, denying thousands of Australians the ability to effectively treat and manage their condition.

Recent research commissioned by Migraine & Headache Australia shows that women at work with migraine experience particularly high levels of stigma and discrimination due to this health condition. The nationally representative survey found almost 1 in 4 Australian women with migraine have quit a job due to lack of support, undermining efforts to achieve workplace gender equality.

Use the hashtag #MakeMigraineMatter to show your support for this event on your favourite social media channels.

Schedule & Webinar Registrations

Topic: New Treatments

Speaker: Dr. Bronwyn Jenkins

Date: 7:30 pm Monday 4th September

Topic: Triptans Without a Prescription

Speaker: Dr. Jacinta Johnson

Date: 7:30 pm Tuesday 5th September

Topic: Research on Headache Disorders

Speaker: Dr. Faraidoon Haghdoost

Date: 7:30 pm Wednesday 6th September

Topic: Concussion Interview

Speaker: Dr. Rowena Mobbs & Brett Kearney (retired NRL star)

Date: 11:00 am Thursday 7th September

Topic: Migraine at Work (Panel)

Panelists: Ellee Lines, Georgia Spencer, Megan Chapman & Sarah Abdou (Solicitor).

Date: 7:30 pm Thursday 7th September

Topic: Event Highlights and General Q&A

Host: Carl Cincinnato, Migraine & Headache Australia Lead and Anniek Grundy, Moderator and Digital Lead

Date: 11:00 am Friday 8th September

SPEAKERS

Dr. Bronwyn Jenkins

Dr. Bronwyn Jenkins (BMed FRACP) is a neurologist from Sydney, Australia with a sub-specialist interest in headache. She is a clinician in private practice and an Honorary Medical Officer at Royal North Shore Hospital. She has participated in the Headache Master School program and written a postgraduate course in headache for the University of Sydney. She is a member of ARCH, IHS and AHS, having been a member on the International Headache Society Board from 2018 to 2020. She is President of the Australian and New Zealand Headache Society (ANZHS) which aims to improve management of headache patients in the region.

Dr. Jacinta Johnson

Dr. Jacinta Johnson is a credentialled Advanced Practice Pharmacist and Senior Lecturer in Pharmacy Practice at the University of South Australia. In Addition, Jacinta is a Board Director for the Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia (SHPA) and sits on the Commission on Excellence and Innovation in Health Chronic Pain Statewide Clinical Network Steering Committee in SA. Dr Johnson’s clinical work is centred around medicine safety, pain management and addiction medicine. She holds a PhD in Pharmacology, and her research has focused on treatments for migraine and the quality use of pain medicines. As a migraine sufferer herself, Jacinta is passionate about promoting the important role pharmacists can play in assisting patients with migraine to best manage their condition.

Dr. Faraidoon Haghdoost

Faraidoon Haghdoost (MD, PhD) is a research fellow on headache disorders at The George Institute for Global Health, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, Australia. Faraidoon is interested in studying headache disorders, especially migraine disease, contributing to growing awareness of the need for headache-specific research and starting a headache-specific research group based on headache patients’ needs.

Dr. Haghdoost is passionate about engaging with scientists, healthcare providers and people with headache disorders through social media and other communication platforms. He is highly skilled in clinical trials and meta-analysis, study design, statistical data analysis, communication, lecturing, and presentations.

Dr. Rowena Mobbs

Dr. Rowena Mobbs MBBS BMedSci (Hons1) PhD FRACP is Senior Lecturer, Department of Clinical Medicine at Macquarie University, and a sub-specialist in cognitive neurology. She is one of Australia’s leading clinicians in concussion and dementia. She is highly committed to the integration of multidisciplinary chronic care and research translation within teaching and mentoring programs, based at Macquarie University. She is founder and director of the Australian CTE Biobank. She created an online education program called Concussion Big 5 for detecting the common neurological signs of concussion.

Dr. Mobbs champions a patient-centred approach as well as community advocacy for those living with traumatic brain injury, and types of dementia, including Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). She sees patients with disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, frontotemporal dementia, Parkinson’s disease, Lewy Body disease, and motor neurone disease, and the in-life equivalent to CTE, traumatic encephalopathy syndrome (TES). She is Principal Neurologist at Harbour Neurology Group in North Sydney, leading a team of specialists for integrated neurological care. Dr Mobbs’ vision is for the expansion of collaborative and innovative neurological services in dementia, identified to be one of the National Health Priority Areas. 

Brett Kearney

Brett Kearney, also known as “BK”, is a retired Rugby League football star who has represented Country Origin and played for the South Sydney Rabbitohs, Cronulla Sharks and other clubs over his professional career.

Today BK is an Ambassador for the Brain Foundation and it’s mission to fund brain research. He is helping to raise awareness of brain health and is promoting the importance of research into brain disease, disorder and injuries.

Sarah Abdou

Sarah is a Sydney based lawyer specialising in Employment and Discrimination law who has a passion for social justice. She has worked with various community legal centres including Redfern Legal Centre, Wirringa Baiya Aboriginal Women’s Legal Centre, and Kingsford Legal Centre under the UNSW Law school. Currently she is employed as a Solicitor at the Australian Centre for Disability Law and has represented clients at the Fair Work Commission, Anti- Discrimination NSW and Australian Human Rights Commission.

Georgia Spencer

Georgia is a professional in the travel and tourism industry who has battled migraine since the age of 13. Her personal journey with the condition has fuelled a commitment to shedding light on the challenges of migraine sufferers. With a passion for trying to raise awareness of the impact of migraine, she actively strives to educate her colleagues in the workplace about this often-misunderstood condition. After exploring an array of treatments, Georgia has crafted a lifestyle that minimises the occurrence of her own migraine attacks, however frequent attacks remain an unfortunate part of her reality.

Megan Chapman

Megan most recently served as a coach for a pain management programme. She previously held two jobs, studied a double bachelor degree, and worked as an advocate.

Megan has extensive knowledge of neurological and medical limitations and enjoyed studying psychological behaviour.

She has sought out numerous treatments, including TMS, anti CGRP self-injection pens, injections, and more.

Megan is passionate about spreading awareness and educating others, particularly about migraines / neurological disorders.

Ellee Lines

Ellee can trace migraine back to her teenage years, although it took over 15 years to get diagnosed. Ellee works as a Senior Director at a Marketing Communications agency, where she continues to navigate migraine while working in a demanding and fast-paced industry. 

Three and a half years ago, Ellee’s health suddenly deteriorated resulting in chronic migraine. Since then, she’s continued to work through her recovery, with the goal of getting back to being episodic.    

Ellee is a passionate patient advocate, telling her story to increase awareness and encourage others to identify and advocate for what they need. 

Carl Cincinnato

Carl stopped taking his health for granted at an early age due to migraine. Over the last 30 years, health has become central throughout his life and work. This includes working at one of the biggest health companies in the world. Today, Carl works with charities, foundations, and organisations to help lift the global burden of migraine including Migraine & Headache Australia, the Brain Foundation, the Coalition of Headache and Migraine Patients (CHAMP), the Global Patient Advocacy Coalition (GPAC), and the World Health Education Foundation (WHEF). Carl is a member of the International Headache Society, acts on several patient committees, is the author of MigrainePal.com, and is the founder of the Migraine World Summit.

Carl is a public and passionate patient advocate for migraine. He has spoken nationally and internationally on TV, radio and in print about migraine and the need to increase research funding, reduce stigma, and increase patient support.

Join our email newsletter if you experience chronic headaches or migraine. It’s free, anonymous and will allow you to attend Migraine & Headache Awareness Week this year

You’ll also receive updates about new treatments, events, research and opportunities to participate in leading research projects and treatment trials.

#MakeMigraineMatter

Migraine & Headache Australia is delighted to continue our partnership with Australia’s favourite oral rehydration solution, Hydralyte, for Migraine & Headache Awareness Week.

To celebrate, Hydralyte are supporting us with the launch of our Make Migraine Matter campaign, to encourage all Australians  to recognise that migraine is a neurological condition that can result in debilitating attacks. It’s much more than a headache. Symptoms can include nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light and sound, fatigue, cognitive difficulties and more. In addition to working with their doctor, people living with migraine have an important role to play in their own self-management. Migraine affects three times as many women as men, and is most common in middle age, when many women are focused on progressing their career and raising a family.

Self-care routines are a powerful tool to support the clinical management of migraine and headache, and can be tailored to each person’s unique triggers and symptoms to help reduce the chance of an attack – from reduced screen time, exercise and diet, to staying well-hydrated. 

To #MakeMigraineMatter, tell others what migraine is like for you and share how you keep yourself feeling well on your social channels, and follow Migraine & Headache Australia and Hydralyte on Instagram. 

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