Secretary of Health Applauds 50 Years of the American Headache Society

AHS President & MAGNUM Chief Medical Advisor Dr. Fred Sheftell (L) who read Sec. Leavitt's letter during the opening ceremony & MAGNUM and MigraineBlog's Michael John Coleman (R) in Boston.

Secretary of Health Michael O. Leavitt Recognizes the Burden of Migraine Disease & those NGO's Who Fight It

Boston, MA; June 27th, Updated June 30th, 2008— In Boston today during the opening remarks of the largest gathering of neurologists in the nation, The President of American Headache Society Fred D. Sheftell M.D., F.A.C.P. announced he had a letter from the Secretary of Health Michael O. Leavitt which sent more than warm greetings for the 50th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Headache Society.  Dr. Sheftell AHS's new incoming President is currently director and founder of The New England Center for Headache located in Stamford, Connecticut and he is Clinical Assistant Professor with joint appointments in the Departments of Neurology and Psychiatry at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City and consults at the Montefiore Headache Clinic and of course MAGNUM's Medical Advisor Chair. 

MAGNUM had spent months working with government officials to facilitate such a document which would highlight the government's continuing concern for Migraine disease and headache disorders, as we had in the past when Tommy Thompson became the first U.S. Secretary of Health to acknowledge Migraine as a major public health issue in 2003. The Office of Assistant Secretary of Health called the MAGNUM office on the 24th with great news that the letter was ready to be picked up at the Hubert H. Humphrey Building.  Just in time for MAGNUM to get the document to AHS in time for the opening ceremony up in New England. So it was fitting for Dr. Sheftell to read the official letter from the Secretary of Health and Human Services to the hundreds of the nation's leading Migraine and headache medical experts seated in the convention hall.

Mary Novick with the Office of Secretary of Health shown here handing the letter from theSecretary of Health to MAGNUM Executive Director Michael John Coleman at the Hubert H. Humphrey Building just in time for the AHS conference.

"We celebrate 50th Anniversary of American Headache Society and the 15th Anniversary of MAGNUM, the National Migraine Association. I applaud your efforts to raise national and global awareness of the epidemiology associated with migraine disease and headache disorders,"  noted Secretary of Health Michael O. Leavitt.

Secretary Leavitt highlighted how much more Migraine & headache is now taken seriously in his letter: "As we are winding down the "Decade of Pain Control and Research" migraine disease is no longer sidelined as a symptom or a personality disorder, but now aggressively addressed as a progressive neurological disease with a genetic basis."  As he echoes: "The good news is that compassionate, professional advocates and physicians just like you are making a difference in the fight against headaches. Your tremendous work educating and informing the public helps so many escape the prison of their pain, and brings hope to those who still suffer."

The Health Secretary also praises the work of notable non-government organizations in the headache world including the relatively new Headache On the Hill group; Alliance for Headache Disorders Advocacy (AHDA), Migraine Research Foundation (MRF) & our international friends and partners at the World Headache Alliance (WHA).

All and all, this letter makes a very powerful statement about the improved state of standing of Migraine disease and headache disorders in the medical community.  We are grateful to Secretary of Health Michael O. Leavitt for reinforcing the past Secretary of Health's commitment to the 36 million Americans who face the burden of Migraine disease on so many different levels.  With Dr. Robert Shapiro's work with other AHS doctors and all of us here at MAGNUM to convince NIH to fund research on headache disorders at adequate levels. The Health Secretary's support at the 50th meeting of these wonderful doctors who took on an unpopular disease a half century ago could not have come at a better time. 

MyMigraineConnection reporter and health advocate Teri Robert (L), Dr. Jerome Goldstein, and 'Ask The Clinician' Dr. John Claude Krusz, also a MAGNUM Medical Advisor, discussing the Boston AHS meeting while viewing the displays.

Because we believe with better government research, we can overcome NIH's inattention to headache disorders which has discouraged scientists from pursuing research in this field and contributed to the limited development of new Migraine disease and headache disorder therapies. But change is in the air, yes, the change we all keep hearing about! And it is happening at the 50th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Headache Society. What we heard in Boston is very positive and we hope it continues.  We have much more to report on, with more great news from Capitol Hill happening during the Boston meeting, and exciting developments from Alliance for Headache Disorders Advocacy (AHDA) meeting in beantown so stay tuned.

For more on this subject from our partners at The HealthCentral Network please read "A Letter from a Secretary - About Migraine Disease and Headaches!" today.