Quality Improvement Competitive Grant Program
The Headache & Migraine Competitive Grant Program, in collaboration with Pfizer, stands at the forefront of advancing headache medicine by funding groundbreaking quality improvement initiatives. This highly competitive grant supports projects that have the potential to reshape the field—creating widely applicable tools and driving measurable improvements in patient care.
Applications for the 2024 grant cycle are now closed. Please visit our website in September 2025 for updates on the next cycle and information about future funding opportunities.
Announcing the 2024 Grant Recipients
We are proud to recognize the 2024 grant recipients, whose exceptional work exemplifies innovation, leadership, and a commitment to elevating headache and migraine treatment. Their projects represent the future of quality improvement in healthcare. Discover their impactful work below.
View the Press ReleaseChia-Chun Chiang, MD
Mayo Clinic
An Agentic Artificial Intelligence System for Efficiently Collecting and Summarizing Headache Information, Diagnosing Headache Types, and Optimizing Clinical Workflows
Jelena Pavlovic, MD, PhD
Montefiore Medical Center
Migraine and Perimenstrual Migraine Attacks in the Emergency Department: Improving Recognition and Ensuring Better Outcomes
Richelle deMayo, MD
Connecticut Children's Medical Center Foundation
HeadWay: Charting Coordination & Continuity Across the Transition from Adolescent-to-Adult Headache Care
Hannah Shapiro, MD
University of California San Francisco
Empowering Children and Adolescents Undergoing Needle-based Procedures for Headache Treatment through Implementation of a “Headache Procedure Comfort Menu”: a Novel Clinical Tool
Sinifunanya Nwaobi, MD, PhD
University of California, Los Angeles
Effectiveness of a School-based Interventional Migraine Program in Under-resourced Schools
Winnie Lau, MD
University of North Carolina
Reducing Emergency Department Length of Stay and Specialty Consultation Wait Times for Patients with Headache
Request for Proposal
Applicant Eligibility Criteria
- Must be a member of the American Headache Society. Learn about AHS membership and join here.
- The following may apply: medical, dental, nursing, allied health, and/or pharmacy professional schools; healthcare institutions (both large and small); government agencies; and other entities with a mission related to healthcare improvement.
- Only organizations are eligible to receive grants, not individuals or medical practice groups (i.e., an independent group of physicians not affiliated with a hospital, academic institution, or professional society).
- Collaborations within institutions (e.g., between departments and/or inter-professional), as well as between different institutions / organizations / associations, are encouraged. Please note all partners must have a relevant role and the requesting organization must have a key role in the project.
- The applicant must be the Project Lead/Principal Investigator (PI) or an authorized designee of such individual (e.g., Project Lead/PI’s grant/research coordinator).
- The Project Lead/PI must be an employee or contractor of the requesting organization.
- Requesting organization must be legally able to receive award funding directly from Pfizer Inc.. We strongly recommend that applicants confirm this with their organization or institution prior to submitting an application. Grants awarded to organizations that are subsequently found to be unable to accept funding directly from Pfizer Inc. may be subject to rescission.
- For projects offering continuing education credit, the requesting organization must be accredited.
Project Criteria
Projects are expected to have measurable outcomes and contribute to the core goal of the American Headache Society (AHS) – improving the lives of people impacted by migraine and other headache disorders.
Projects should focus on quality improvement in safety, clinical effectiveness, rapidity of diagnosis/proper treatment, efficiency, patient centered care, and/or equity. The program is not intended to support laboratory science or clinical trials.
Example Topics
Some potential projects include, but are not limited to:
- Diagnosis and management for under-represented populations
- Large-scale evaluation of “real world” patient experiences
- Delivery of headache care in the primary care and emergency department settings
- Education regarding headache disorders in medical school and residency training
Funding Range and Project Length
Individual projects are to be completed in two years and can request up to $250,000 USD.
Proposals of all scales are encouraged, as impactful advancements in headache medicine can be achieved through both large and modestly funded initiatives.
