About the National Headache Foundation

The National Headache Foundation (NHF), a volunteer, nonprofit organization located in Chicago, Illinois, was established in 1970 by a group of physicians.

Mission

The NHF exists to enhance the healthcare of headache sufferers. It is a source of help to sufferers’ families, physicians who treat headache sufferers, allied healthcare professionals and to the public. The NHF accomplishes its mission by providing educational and informational resources, supporting headache research and advocating for the understanding of headache as a legitimate neuro-biological disease.

Vision

The NHF will be the premier educational and informational resource for headache sufferers, their families, physicians, allied healthcare professionals and health policy decision makers. The NHF will advocate for headache sufferers. The organization will employ the most effective means to disseminate information and knowledge to headache sufferers and non-sufferers.

To fulfill its mission statement, the National Headache Foundation conducts the following activities:

Serving as a source of help to headache sufferers, the physicians and allied healthcare providers who treat them and the public, by:

• Publishing an award-winning bimonthly newsletter NHF HeadLines, providing a toll-free hotline for sufferers, and hosting an award-winning Web site that features the latest information about headaches and new discoveries in diagnosis and treatment.

• Another vital resource is our monthly e-newsletter, NHF News to Know. This publication contains up-to-the minute information on new drug approvals and the latest in headache research and will arrive in e-mail inboxes each month, or a hard copy can be requested.

• Sponsoring numerous outreach activities throughout the year, including National Headache Awareness Week (the first full week in June) and "Migraine Masterpieces," the first nationwide art competition to be held in the United States for diagnosed migraine sufferers.

• Compiling a national list of physician and healthcare professional members.

• Publishing The Standards of Care for Headache Diagnosis and Treatment and sponsoring Continuing Medical Education (CME) courses for healthcare professionals.

• Offering patient education materials including books, brochures, relaxation tapes, online topic sheets, podcasts, education modules, and videotapes on headache causes and treatments.

• Sponsoring a nationwide network of local support groups and an e-mail pen pal program.

• Establishing the H.E.A.D.A.C.H.E. Project to integrate headache education into medical school curricula.

• Writing about timely headache topics, such as research in the NHF Blog.

• Gathering survey research from visitors on our Web site through a monthly online survey.

• Utilizing social media venues such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Idealist.org and LinkedIn to update our online followers about our latest campaigns, research advancements and resources.

• Creating numerous educational podcast series featuring the helpful information from top physicians speaking on a variety of headache-related topics.

Supporting headache research by sponsoring the Annual Headache Research Summit and providing funding in 2009 to the following:

• Paul L. Durham, Ph.D. of Missouri State University, researching “ATP and CGRP a Synergistic Mechanism Regulating Nociception in Tirgeminal Ganglion Neurons.”

• Andrew F. Russo, Ph.D. of University of Iowa, researching “Does Pregnancy Reduce Light Aversion in a Mouse Model of Migraine?”

• Simon Kaja, Ph.D. of University of Missouri Kansas City, researching “Novel Mechanism Underlying the Pathophysiology of Visual Impairment During Migraine Headaches.” • Andrew Strassman, B.A., Ph.D. of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, researching “Activity of Meningeal Sensory Neurons: Excitatory vs. Inhibitory Mechanisms in Sensitization.”

• Kate Carroll, M.D. of Northwestern Memorial Hospital, researching “The Relation of Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension (Pseudo Tumor Cerebril) and Brain Ouabain.”

• Carolina Lemos, BSc of University of Porto, Portugal, researching “Identification of Generic Variants Associated with Increased Susceptibility of Migraine.”

• Soe Mar, M.D. of Washington University School of Medicine, researching Does Chronic Migraine Hurt the Developing Brain?” Investigation using Resting State Functional Connectivity.”

• Tamara C. Valovich McLeod, Ph.D. of A.T. Still University, researching “ The Effect of Sport-related Concussion on Headache and Health-related Quality of Life in Children & Adolescent.”

• Kerry Caparell, M.D. of Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, researching “Paraspinal Intramuscular Ropivacaine Injection for the Treatment of Acute Headache in Children.”

Providing educational and informational resources and advocating for the understanding of Headache as a legitimate neurobiological disease, by:

• Disseminating information through free nationwide public education seminars.

• Conducting national communications campaigns explaining specific headache issues for headache sufferers and the general public.

• Partnering with public and private organizations to promote initiatives, which increase awareness of headache.

• Posting online surveys to our Web site to gain a better understanding of issues affecting headache sufferers.

In order to be easily accessible to headache sufferers, the National Headache Foundation has a toll-free line (888-NHF-5552 Monday – Friday 9:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M.) and award-winning Web site (www.headaches.org), which people may use to have their questions answered or obtain free information.