Migraine & Headache Awareness Week 2024

Learn more about new treatments, research, and more for migraine and other debilitating headache disorders from Australian experts at Migraine & Headache Awareness Week

16-20 September 2024 | Online | Experts Live with Audience Q&A

Migraine and headache seminars will be held online for all Australians by an expert or headache specialist. Each session will include a presentation or discussion on a particular topic followed by live audience Q&A. 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 social media channels.

Watch this on-demand panel discussion to help you navigate migraine at work. Uncover valuable insights for employees and practical advice on how to create a more supportive work environment or improve workplace understanding of migraine. Watch now >>

Schedule & Webinar Registrations

IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONS: You can register by clicking on any of the purple buttons with ‘Register Now >>’ and follow the prompts.

You only need to register once to receive an email confirmation and an alert before each webinar begins during the Awareness Week.

All times are listed in Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST). Use any registration button to attend one or more webinars during Migraine & Headache Awareness Week. A confirmation email will be sent to you to confirm your registration. Get an optional text reminder by including your mobile phone. Text messages will be used sparingly to notify you at the start of live event. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Topic: New Treatments & Research

Speaker: Dr. Emma Foster & Dr. Jason Ray

Date: 7:30 pm AEST Monday 16th September

Topic: Chronic Migraine

Speaker: Dr. Elspeth Hutton

Date: 7:30 pm AEST Tuesday 17th September

Topic: Mental Health & Chronic Pain

Speaker: Prof. Dawn Buse

Date: 11:00 am AEST Wednesday 18th September

Topic: Side Effects of Medications

Speaker: Dr. Michael Eller

Date: 7:30 pm AEST Wednesday 18th September

Topic: Other Types of Disabling Headache

Panelists: Dr. Katherine Spira

Date: 7:30 pm AEST Thursday 19th September

Topic: Event Highlights and General Q&A

Host: Professor Tissa Wijeratne, MD and Anniek Grundy, Moderator & Digital Lead

Date: 11:00 am AEST Friday 20th September

SPEAKERS

Dr. Elspeth Hutton

Dr. Elspeth Hutton

Dr. Hutton is a headache specialist, neurologist and President of the Australian and New Zealand Headache Society. At Alfred Hospital Dr. Hutton established the diagnostic and clinical service in neuropathy, neuropathic pain and headache. She also holds a research appointment at Monash University. Dr. Hutton has been awarded several prizes and fellowships and is internationally recognized for her work in pain research and has international experience in the diagnosis and management of neuropathy, pain, headache and migraine. She is a member of several international societies, including the Australian Association of Neurologists (ANZAN), The American Association of Neurologists (AAN), and the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP).

Dr. Emma Foster

Dr. Emma Foster

Dr. Emma Foster is a Consultant Neurologist at The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, with a special interest in Headache and Epilepsy. In addition to her clinical work, she is an early career researcher at Monash University, and is developing expertise in epidemiological, outcome, and cost effectiveness research methodology. She has published in leading international journals, including Neurology, and has been invited to present her research on the prestigious American Academy of Neurology’s podcast series. She has been the recipient of several grants and scholarships during her PhD candidature including an NHMRC Postgraduate Scholarship. Dr. Foster looks forward to contributing to ongoing clinical and research efforts to improve the lives of Australians with headache. To this end, she assisted in creating The Alfred Headache Registry, and has been a council member on the Australian and New Zealand Headache Society since 2020.

Dr. Jason Ray

Dr. Jason Ray

Dr Ray is an academic neurologist and headache sub-specialist at the Alfred and Austin Hospitals, and research fellow at Monash University, Melbourne. He is the lead of headache research at Alfred Health, has published over 20 peer-reviewed publications, and is involved in both commercial and investigator-initiated clinical trials. He is passionate about education of headache disorders, and regularly lectures for medical students, junior doctors, as well as developing educational tools for the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia.

Dawn-Buse

Dr. Dawn Buse

Dawn C. Buse, PhD, is a clinical professor of neurology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She is a member of the board of directors of the Headache Cooperative of the Pacific, and a licensed psychologist. She has authored more than 200 scientific manuscripts and has won eight U.S. and international research awards and six professional awards for her work in the field of migraine.

She is a co-investigator on numerous U.S. and international studies, including the American Migraine Prevalence and Prevention (AMPP) study; the Chronic Migraine Epidemiology and Outcomes (CaMEO) study; the Migraine Signature Study (MSS); the International Burden of Migraine Study (IBMS); the Migraine in America Symptoms and Treatment (MAST) study; the Observational Survey of the Epidemiology, Treatment and Care of Migraine (OVERCOME) study; and a recipient of the FDA-sponsored Migraine Clinical Outcome Assessment System (MiCOAS) grant, which is gathering patient input for the development of migraine clinical trial endpoints. She is an advocate for the well-being of patients and healthcare professionals.

Michael-Eller

Dr. Michael Eller

Dr. Michael Eller specialises in the management of headache disorders such as migraine and trigeminal autonomic cephalgias (TACs) such as cluster headache. This includes the administration of injections for treatment migraine and the TACs. He also manages other general neurological disorders such as vertigo, cognitive problems, multiple sclerosis, neuropathy and epilepsy. In 2012-2014, Dr. Eller was on the faculty at University California San Francisco, attached to the UCSF Headache Centre under Professor Peter Goadsby. He conducted clinical and functional neuroimaging research in this capacity, as well as maintaining a headache clinic. He has previously worked as a visiting specialist at Royal Darwin Hospital, and is currently at Monash Neurology.

Katherine Spira

Dr. Katherine Spira

Dr Katherine Spira is General Neurologist and Headache Subspecialist. She is the director of Spira Neurology, a private clinic based in Bondi Junction, Sydney and is an Honorary Medical Officer at Prince of Wales Hospital. Katherine has active research interests in migraine and the eye and collaborates with a team at the School of Optometry and Vision Sciences and Prince of Wales Hospital Clinical School at UNSW. Katherine has a passion for medical education and regularly works with doctor, allied health and patient groups in this capacity.

tissa_wijeratne

Professor Tissa Wijeratne

Professor Tissa Wijeratne (OAM, MD, PhD, FRACP, FRSM, FAAN, FAHA, FRCP) serves as the Chair of the Department of Neurology at Western Health, Melbourne, Australia. He is the Co-Founder and Chair of World Brain Day, an initiative that has successfully brought brain health into global focus, making it a household name. His work significantly contributed to the World Health Organization’s definition of brain health and its prioritization of brain health and prevention worldwide.
Prof. Wijeratne is Australia’s most cited practicing headache specialist, with a citation index of 125,000 and an h-index of 80, based on his 356 publications. These achievements are particularly noteworthy given his background as a specialist neurologist from a culturally and linguistically diverse community. He currently supervises 12 PhD students, further advancing research in neurology.
He is also the President of the Asian Regional Consortium of Headache and the Global Chair for Migraine and Headache Disorders at the World Federation for Neurorehabilitation (WFNR)
Anniek Grundy photo

Anniek Grundy

Anniek is the Grants Program Manager & Digital Lead at the Brain Foundation and Migraine & Headache Australia. Since joining the team four years ago, she has written a wide range of articles for our websites and newsletters about brain health, migraine, and other brain disorders. She also looks after the administrative side of our research grants program.

Anniek has been increasingly involved in Migraine & Headache Awareness Week over the years, and has also hosted several webinars for Brain Awareness Week (which takes place in March). She is passionate about the education, advocacy, and support these events provide to the patient community.

Carl Cincinnato copy

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

Women with migraine and other headache disorders face significant health disparities, including pain minimisation, lack of adequate support, and social stigma. Their symptoms are often dismissed as stress or hormonal issues, leading to delayed or inadequate treatment. This results in prolonged suffering, reduced quality of life, and increased mental health issues. Calling attention to these challenges is crucial to raise awareness, improve diagnosis and treatment, and ensure equitable healthcare access.

While men are also heavily impacted by migraine and other headache disorders, the overall care and support for migraine patients is insufficient. The shortfall for women is particularly severe. By closing this gap, we can enhance more Australian women’s quality of life, reduce the burden on healthcare systems, and promote a more inclusive approach to pain management and support.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I register?

You can register by clicking on any of the purple buttons with ‘Register Now >>’ and follow the prompts.

You only need to register once to receive an email confirmation and alert before each webinar begins during the week.

Use any registration button to attend one or more webinars during Migraine & Headache Awareness Week. A confirmation email will be sent to you to confirm your registration. Get an optional text reminder by including your mobile phone. Text messages will be used sparingly to notify you at the start of live event. You can unsubscribe at any time.

I missed my webinar, is there anyway I can see a recording?

Yes, if you join the email newsletter or have already registered then you will be able to access the recordings from recently held seminars. Please allow several weeks after Migraine & Headache Awareness Week for the newly recorded talks to be made available. You will be notified via email with the details. Join the email newsletter to ensure you are notified.

Are there any in-person seminars in 2024?

The entire event is virtual for Migraine & Headache Awareness Week this year but you can still attend live and ask questions on the live webinars.

How can I watch a previously recorded presentation?
Can I attend multiple events or seminars?

Yes you can! To attend, make sure you register for the event and that you are receiving our emails. Then follow the simple prompts to attend the live & online seminar.

What if I am in a remote area?

As long as you have an internet connection anyone in Australia or overseas will be able to register online and watch the seminars.

What is the relationship between Migraine & Headache Australia and the Brain Foundation?

Migraine & Headache Australia is a division of the Brain Foundation, a registered Australian charitable organisation. The Brain Foundation funds research across all neurological disorders, including headache & migraine. Any money donated directly to Migraine & Headache Australia goes to funding Headache & Migraine Research, rather than General Research initiatives. Read more about where your donation goes.

How can I register for just one webinar?

Our community feedback has suggested that participants should only need to register once to attend multiple webinars. This setting has been enabled. If you only wish to attend one webinar that is also perfectly fine however you may receive email notifications for the other webinars when they are about to begin.

Still can’t find your answer? Feel free to submit your question or comment using our feedback form here.

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Learn more about migraine, headache and the latest research and new treatments from Migraine & Headache Awareness Week

Learn more about migraine, headache and the latest research and new treatments from Migraine & Headache Awareness Week

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