Mar

Headache on the Hill 2024 & the Inaugural Year for AHS Advocacy Scholars

April 2024 Update: The 2024 Headache on the Hill was a successful event as almost 275 advocates came together to advocate for policy change. AHDA Executive Director, Julienne Verdi advised that there has been at least 8 new co-sponsors for the legislation championed and those numbers are expected to increase. Advocates secured leads for the Dear Colleague letter in support of the VA Headache Centers of Excellence. Letters on both the House and Senate are expected to begin circulating in the coming weeks.

Additionally, advocates have generated 1984 letters to Congress in support of our HOH legislative agenda and encourage readers to take 2 minutes to send their own letter using our pre-drafted template form and send to colleagues and friends. The link can be found here: https://secure.everyaction.com/vM031iL9DkW64SpZlHmfLA2

To view photos from the events, please click here.

Thank you to all who attended Headache on the Hill and those who continue to stand up for these important asks. Relevant and informational resources are available at the bottom of this blog. Please keep an eye out for future updates, including the 2025 AHS Advocacy Scholars program with more details to follow late this summer 2024.

March 19, 2024: AHS recognizes that to fulfill its core goal of improving the lives of people impacted by migraine and other headache disorders, healthcare advocacy is essential. Policy change through legislative advocacy directly impacts our patients, their clinical care, their burden of disease, and research funding for migraine and other headache disorders. AHS is committed to creating a pipeline of physician and advanced practice professional leaders to engage in state and federal healthcare advocacy.

AHS members have recognized the need for improved access to care, for less overly burdensome paperwork for clinicians’ offices to provide care, and for improved research funding. Accordingly, the interest in healthcare advocacy among AHS members has increased, including participation in federal legislative advocacy efforts. Every year a high number of AHS members actively participate in Headache on the Hill (HOH), an annual fly-in to Congress, organized by the Alliance for Headache Disorders Advocacy (AHDA). This event is both for patients and healthcare professionals to literally walk the journey of advocacy across Capitol Hill to meet with Congress to advocate for those whose lives have been impacted by migraine and other headache disorders.

This year’s HOH event, taking place on March 19th, will see an impressive 76 healthcare professionals, 64 of whom are AHS members, in attendance and advocating for our patients and for us. This year we will be asking Congress to protect our patients from harmful step therapy, reduce barriers to clinical trial diversity, and improve the care for our Veteran population with headache disorders. Additionally, in collaboration with AHDA, AHS introduces a new initiative, AHS Advocacy Scholars, to support early career clinicians and scientists through a travel scholarship to HOH 2024.

Our inaugural AHS Advocacy Scholars are AHS members ranging from medical students to residents to early career attendings. They are bright, dedicated, and ready to advocate for our patients and for headache medicine:

Amaris Alayon, MD (1^styear Neurology Resident)
Nan Cheng, MD (Headache Medicine Fellow)
Delora E. Denney (Medical Student)
Paul Gong, MD (Headache Medicine Fellow)
Monica Ngo, MD (3rd year neurology Resident)
Armi Sadeghi, MD (just completed Fellowship)
Rachel Sehgal, MD, MS (Headache Medicine Fellow)
Yongqin Wu, MD (Headache Medicine Fellow)
Muhammed Ismail Khalid Yousaf, MD (Headache Medicine Fellow)

“The launch of the AHS Advocacy Scholars Program marks a significant milestone in the ongoing partnership between the American Headache Society and the Alliance for Headache Disorders Advocacy. This initiative deepens our collaboration by empowering Headache Medicine Fellows and early career medical providers with the opportunity to participate in ‘Headache on the Hill.’ Their involvement is not just about representation; it’s a testament to the value and impact that informed, passionate medical providers can bring to legislative advocacy. We are thrilled to welcome these dedicated medical providers into Cohort 17, confident that their contributions will be pivotal in advancing our shared mission to improve headache care and support. Together, we are strengthening the voice of headache medicine in critical conversations that shape policy and practice.

As part of our collaborative efforts through the AHS Advocacy Scholars Program, we stand united in our support for pivotal legislative initiatives like the Safe Step Act and the NIH Clinical Trial Diversity Act. These pieces of legislation are crucial in our quest to ensure more equitable, effective, and patient-centered headache care. By integrating the expertise and fresh perspectives of our Advocacy Scholars, we aim to amplify our advocacy efforts for these acts. Their participation not only enriches our understanding but also reinforces our commitment to advocating for policies that promote accessibility and diversity in clinical trials and patient care. This collaboration underscores our dedication to driving meaningful change and underscores the importance of informed, passionate advocacy in achieving a future where everyone has access to the care they need to live their fullest lives.”

-Julienne Verdi, Executive Director, AHDA

Additionally, advocates of our inaugural Leadership in Advocacy Development (LEAD) Program, Amy Hessler, DO and Scott Turner, DNP will be joining the AHS Advocacy Scholars at HOH 2024. Our LEAD advocates were selected for a 2-year longitudinal project-based program to provide training, tools, mentorship, and support for becoming healthcare advocacy leaders in headache medicine. At the upcoming event, in addition to participating in HOH 2024, LEAD advocates will receive didactics in engaging with patient advocacy, healthcare legislative advocacy, and developing legislative asks.

We hope that HOH 2024 will be a career-changing event for our AHS Advocacy Scholars and LEAD advocates. Our hope is that through this opportunity AHS Advocacy Scholars and LEAD advocates receive the training, tools, and inspiration to become the healthcare advocacy leaders of tomorrow in headache medicine.

Amaal Starling, MD, MS, FAHS
Chair, AHS Advocacy Committee and
LEAD Program Committee