Migraine & Headache Awareness Week 2026
Free | 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.
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 Findings Show Increase in Migraine Prevalence
Speaker: Farid Anvari, Australian Institute of Health & Welfare
Date: 12:00 pm (noon) AEST Monday 21st September
Topic: New Migraine Research You Should Know About
Speaker: Dr Bronwyn Jenkins
Date: 7:30 pm AEST Tuesday 22nd September
Topic: Mental Health & Chronic Pain
Speaker: Professor Paul Martin
Date: 12:00 pm (noon) AEST Wednesday 23rd September
Topic: Treatment Access & How to Advocate for Change
Speaker: Carl Cincinnato, Lead, Migraine & Headache Australia
Date: 7:30 pm AEST Thursday 24th September
Topic: Event Highlights and Expert Q&A
Speaker: Dr Usman Ashraf answering questions with the Migraine & Headache Australia team
Date: 12:00 pm (noon) AEST Friday 25th September
SPEAKERS
Professor Paul Martin
Paul R. Martin is an adjunct professor at Monash University and at Griffith University in Australia. He is a clinical and health psychologist who completed his training at the Universities of Bristol and Oxford. He has held a number of professional leadership positions, including national president of the Australian Behaviour Modification Association, and director of science and then president of the Australian Psychological Society.
His main research interest has been headache and migraine, with subsidiary interests in stress, depression (including postnatal depression), and social support. He has authored/edited eight books and 170 journal articles and chapters. In 2003, he received a Centenary Medal “for service to Australian society and medicine,” and in 2015, he received a Medal of the Order of Australia “for service to medicine in the field of psychology.”
Dr Bronwyn Jenkins
Dr Bronwyn Jenkins (BMed, FRACP) is a neurologist from Sydney, Australia. Her undergraduate training was at the University of Newcastle. Her work is primarily in private practice with a subspecialist interest in headache, as well as running the headache clinic as an Honorary Medical Officer at Royal North Shore Hospital.
She has written a postgraduate course in headache for the University of Sydney, with an ongoing interest in headache education. She is an Assistant Editor for Cephalalgia and active in publications relating to headache. She is Immediate Past President for the Australian and New Zealand Headache Society (ANZHS). She is a member of ARCH and IHS, having been a co-opted member on the International Headache Society Board from 2018 to 2020 and continuing on the education, leadership and ethics subcommittees of IHS.
Farid Anvari, PhD
Dr Farid Anvari has more than 10 years of research experience and two years of experience in public health reporting. His expertise includes statistics, quantitative research methods, survey design, and the development of national reports on chronic conditions in Australia.
Farid works in the Chronic Conditions Unit within the Population Health Group at the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. He led the establishment of the neurological conditions reporting program, including the development of the report Migraine and headaches in Australia. He now leads projects focused on strengthening national reporting on neurological conditions, chronic conditions more broadly, and multimorbidity.
Dr Usman Ashraf
Dr Usman Ashraf works as a headache subspecialist neurologist across private practice in Sydney and as a consultant at Northern Beaches Hospital and Westmead Private Hospital. Dr Ashraf completed neurology training at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney, followed by the Brennan-Lynch Headache Fellowship at St Vincent’s Hospital. Subsequently, he completed a Clinical Research Fellowship with the Headache Group of Professor Peter Goadsby at King’s College London.
He continues to be heavily involved in research and teaching, being currently affiliated with The University of Sydney and is also an Associate Editor for Cephalalgia Reports, one of the flagship journals of the International Headache Society. He has published research across a wide range of topics, from burden of disease to the biology of how migraine works. There is no greater passion for Dr Ashraf than caring for patients with headache, clinically as well as through research and teaching to take the field forward.
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.
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.
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 this year?
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?
Recordings are available from previous years at the links below:
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?
Based on community feedback, you now only need to register once to attend multiple webinars in the series. If you prefer to join just one session, that’s absolutely fine—you may simply receive reminder emails for the others as they’re about to start.
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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