June Member Spotlight: Dan Henry, MD
Dr. Henry commits his career to improving the lives of those living with headache disorders
This month, we are putting the spotlight on Dan Henry, MD, whose connection to migraine inspired him to dedicate his life to headache medicine. He has been a member of the Society for 11 years and is a member of the Pediatric-Adolescent Headache, Procedural Headache Medicine and Primary Frontline Headache Care Special Interest Sections.
Dr. Henry’s interest in headache medicine began after losing his daughter to migraine.
“My youngest daughter developed migraine at the age of 8,” Dr. Henry says. “Over the next 9 years, her disease continued to progress, despite all efforts to find an effective treatment. She had multiple small strokes, struggled to stay in school and ended her own life during her senior year.”
Through the tragedy, Dr. Henry focused on making a difference for those with migraine and headache disorders by devoting his practice to headache medicine. Today, Dr. Henry’s medical practice focuses primarily on headache medicine with a special interest in child, adolescent and young adult patients with headache. Seeing over 80 patients each week, he practices full-time in order to improve the lives of others.
“I see patients every day who have lived with this disease for years, unable to find a provider who can diagnose and treat it,” he says. “They are resigned to living with chronic pain. The most rewarding aspects of this career are the patients who, once properly diagnosed and treated, have gone from severe disability to normal, functional lives.”
Dr. Henry assisted the Association of Migraine Disorders in the development of “A Migraine Toolbox,” an online continuing medical education program designed for primary care providers to improve their care of those living with migraine. Dr. Henry deems this work necessary “because there are not enough neurologists to treat the more than 39 million people in the U.S. who have headache disorders,” he says.
Another way Dr. Henry works to provide patients access to care is through training more physicians in headache medicine. “I have trained multiple primary care physicians over the last few years who are successfully diagnosing and treating headache,” he says.
In tribute to his daughter, Dr. Henry and his family started the Danielle Byron Henry Migraine Foundation, dedicated to raising awareness, providing support and accessing treatment for those living with migraine, especially young adults and children. Learn more about the foundation here.
About Dan Henry
Name: Dan Henry, MD
AHS Membership: Member since 2008
Primary: Migraine Specialist at Foothill Family Clinic
Quote: “Migraine and headache disorders are one of the most misunderstood and highly stigmatized diseases in the world. In addition, it’s often an improperly diagnosed and treated disease due to lack of education and training of primary care providers.”