2026 Scottsdale Headache Symposium Awards Recipients

This Advanced Practitioner Award recognizes an advanced practice provider with long-standing contributions to advancing clinical practice in the field of Headache. The 2026 award is posthumously presented to Carol Barch, MN FNP-BC, of Stanford Health Care in Palo Alto, CA. 

The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Award honors an individual who has advanced DEI advocacy, education, and research and worked to eliminate health disparities in headache medicine. The 2026 award is presented to Angeliki Vgontzas, MD, FAHS, of Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA.

The Lifetime Achievement Award, historically recognized at the Annual Scientific Meeting, is the Society’s highest honor. The award is presented to an AHS member in high regard, in recognition of sustained and substantial service to the Society and the field of headache medicine. The 2026 award is presented to past president Kathleen B. Digre, MD, FAHS, of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, UT. Dr. Digre’s clinical and academic work reflects a deep commitment to patient care, including establishing the University of Utah Headache Clinic.

Honoring his legacy, the Steven B. Graff-Radford Orofacial Pain and Headache Award recognizes eminence in the orofacial pain and headache field. The 2026 award is presented to Yoly M. Gonzalez-Stucker, DDS, MS, MPH, of the University at Buffalo Dental School, in Buffalo, NY.

The Women's Health Science Award commends an investigator whose work has made a notable contribution to the advancements of women’s health and migraine. The 2026 award is presented to Rebecca Burch, MD, FAHS of the University of Vermont in Burlington, VT. 

• Prakit Anukoolwittaya, MD - New England Institute for Neurology and Headache
• Jaylene C. Debiec, DO - Allegheny Health Network
• Paulina G. Díaz, MD, MA - Weill Cornell Medicine
• Rachel E. Glasser, MD - Cleveland Clinic
• Taylor B. Harrison, PhD - Mayo Clinic - Rochester
• Roshini Saleem Raja, MD - The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
• Anna M. Reelfs, MD - Washington University in St. Louis
• Mariah Siddiqui, MD - Thomas Jefferson University Headache Center
• Gloria Vaghi, MD - Mayo Clinic/ University of Pavia
• Dean Zeldich, MD - Thomas Jefferson University Hospital

• Allison Fees, MD - Atrium Wake Forest Baptist
• Rivka Hughes, DO - University of Miami

• Enkh-Orchlon Batbayar, DDS, PhD - University of Minnesota
• Sthitadhi (Todd) Chakraborty, MD - Loyola University Medical Center
• Laura Joanna Green, MD, MSN - Louisiana State University
• Sarah M. Holan, MD - Weill Cornell Medicine Neurology
• Chelsea E. Lee, MD - University of Colorado
• Olivia A. Ley, DDS - University of Minnesota
• Fanny Migliore, MD - Boston University Medical Center
• Brandon Huy Trang Nguyen, MD - University of California, Irvine
• Michelle Simonds, DMD, MPH - Louisiana State University
• Aditi Tiwari, MD - Oregon Health & Science University

• Erin Appiah, MD Candidate - UCSD School of Medicine
• James H. Bates, BS - University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix
• Maithili Bhagat, BA, MBA - Ohio University
• Eric J. Fox - Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine 
• Madeline Pan, BS - The University of Texas Medical Branch
• Rachel H. Shon, BA - California University of Science and Medicine

• Sruthi Ilangovan, BS - The University of Texas at Austin
• Khushi A. Mitchell - University of Wisconsin - Madison        
• Jelena Pejic, BA - Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine
• Andrew J. Rocca - Saint Louis University School of Medicine
• Noah E. Ziff - Mayo Clinic - Phoenix

AHS congratulates this year’s award recipients for their achievements and dedication to improving the lives of people with headache and migraine. Their contributions embody the mission of the Society to improve the lives of people living with headache and migraine and advance knowledge that leads to better care for all.