#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.
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
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 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 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.
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.
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.
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.
Professor Tissa Wijeratne
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Recordings are available from previous years at the links below:
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.
As long as you have an internet connection anyone in Australia or overseas will be able to register online and watch the seminars.
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.
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.
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