Honoring our Headache Heroes

The field of headache research is vast, but there are some leaders who stand out and continue to make an impact even after they leave this world. Please read about some of our headache heroes and what they contributed to our society, the medical community and beyond.

Please contact us to honor a headache hero not featured here at ahshq@talley.com.

Elliott A. Schulman, MD, FAHS
Schulman_Elliott photo

1947 – 2023
Dr. Schulman was incredibly dedicated to his patients who in turn adored him. He saw them as people not symptoms or a disease and they saw him as a Mensch. In response to their frequent thanks and praise Elliott could frequently be heard to quietly say “I am just doing my job”, a job and career he passionately loved.

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Robert Lee Merrill, DDS
Merrill, Robert DDS

1933 – 2022
Dr. Merrill did so much for the orofacial pain and headache fields. His heart was devoted to teaching many generations of clinicians and clinician-scientists, during his time as the Director of the UCLA Orofacial Pain Clinic since 1994, and then as the Director of the UCLA Orofacial Pain Program from 2003 to 2019. Dr. Merrill was a Fellow of the American Headache Society and a Fellow of the American Academy of Orofacial Pain.

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James W. Lance, MD
professor-james-lance

1926 – 2019
Jim was the epitome of the clinician‐scientist well before the term was invented, and has been referred to as the neurologist who put migraine on the map. His interest in headache medicine lead to his co-founding of the International Headache Society (IHS), a society that later recognized him with the IHS Special Recognition Award for his important contributions to headache medicine. Jim was at the forefront of headache research for much of his career, and was widely respected internationally, acting as the Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) and Officer of the Order of Australia (AO). As long as clinicians are taking a careful history and trying to understand the why and how of the patients they seek to serve, Jim’s legacy in the world of headache will endure.

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Kimberly Oas, APRN, FNP-BC
Kimberly-Hall-Oas

1956 – 2019
Kim was a champion for headache medicine and was involved in headache medicine for most of her professional career. She worked at several esteemed headache programs, ran her own headache practice in College Station, Texas and most recently held a leadership position at UT Southwestern. She left UT Southwestern in 2018 to work as a medical science liaison for Allergan and complete her PhD. She was very active in the AAN and the AHS, helping to develop and run The Bridge program and serving as the Advanced Practice Provider Section Chair from 2016-2018. She was a ray of sunshine in our lives, always optimistic and highly ethical.

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Bahram Mokri, MD
Bahram-Mokri

1939 – 2017
A true gentleman and a scholar, Dr. Bahram Mokri was a respected Neurologist at the Mayo Clinic and wonderful human being. In his more than 40 years at Mayo, Dr. Mokri pioneered research on cerebral spinal fluid leaks, mentored aspiring neurologists, and helped thousands of patients. Dr. Mokri’s devotion to his work was only surpassed by his dedication to studying cooking techniques and vintage automobiles.

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Steven Graff-Radford, DDS, FAHS
Steven Graff-Radford

1957 – 2016
Steven was a trailblazer for dentists, expanding dental pain management to treat the full spectrum of headaches, and personally training many dentists.

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Ninan T. Mathew, MD
Ninan Mathew

1937 – 2015
Ninan was not only a headache pioneer, a sound clinician and great researcher but also a physician who really cared for his profession and his family. He showed us the way, and brought so many along with him to carry on after he was gone. We will truly miss him. May His Soul rest in peace!

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Donald W. Lewis, MD
Donald Lewis

1951 – 2012
Children, adolescents, and young adults with headaches and neurological diseases have lost a great advocate, educator and physician. We have all lost a leader in clinical care, research and education, and friend in the passing of Dr. Don Lewis.

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Robert B. Nett, Jr., MD
Robert Nett

1954 – 2012
The American Headache Society, the field of headache medicine, and countless patients have lost an enormous talent, beloved colleague, and compassionate and dedicated physician. Dr. Stuart Black remembers his friend and colleague, who died tragically in an automobile accident on February 16, 2012.

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Fred D. Sheftell, MD
Fred_Sheftell

1941 – 2011
Fred was one of the truly great characters of the headache world, an incredibly vivid personality, and the mention of his name always brings a twinkle to the eye and a smile to the lips of any of his colleagues. He had an infectious enthusiasm and zest for his work, for the American Headache Society, his music, his family and his friends.

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John Edmeads, MD
John Edmeads

1936 – 2006
Celebration of a Life
Fred Sheftell, MD, remembers John on behalf of his friends and colleagues in the international community of headache medicine.

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