World Headache Alliance members were among the 2,000 delegates from around
the world to meet in Rome, Italy for the XI Congress of the
International Headache Society (IHS).
The biennial Congress provides a launch platform for new research and strategies
that further the understanding of headache disorders. The meeting is open to
clinicians, scientists, sufferers or caregivers whose objective it is to help
patients affected by primary headache, or to help identify the underlying
disease in the case of secondary headache.
Opening ceremony highlights included the recognition and thanks given to Dr. Fred Sheftell, WHA co-founder and Chairman, by Ann Turner, former WHA Council Trustee and Treasurer, and Director of the U.K. headache organization, the Migraine Action Association. She acknowledged his hard work and dedication in bringing together lay people from around the world to work together to help raise the awareness of headache globally.
Dr. Sheftell then took the stage to announce Valerie South as this year's recipient of the annual Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Award, presented to a female whose work has made an extraordinary contribution to relieving the burden of headache. The award is named in honor of Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, Britain's first female physician and the first woman mayor in England.
Valerie South, formerly
Executive Director of the Migraine Association of Canada, co-founder of the
World Headache Alliance, and migraine sufferer, generously donated the ₤5,000
prize money to support Lifting the Burden,
the Global Campaign to reduce the burden of headache worldwide.
Another opening ceremony highlight was the presentation of a hand-delivered
letter from the U.S. Bush administration to the gathered delegates.
Michael John Coleman,
founder and Executive Director of MAGNUM
, a WHA member organization, presented the letter from American Secretary of
Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson, who acknowledges the global burden of
migraine and headache disorders and praises the efforts of the medical congress.
Other organizations represented at the Congress included the American Council for Headache Education (ACHE), the Migraine Association of Ireland, the National Headache Foundation, the Italian Society for the Study of Headache, and the Puerto Rico Migraine Association.
About WHAM
The month of September has also been designated by the World Headache Alliance
as World Headache Awareness Month (WHAM). During this time, the WHA encourages
with its member organizations, sponsors and the media to present events around
the world, aimed at raising awareness of headache disorders and their related
issues. Member organizations continue to work with their own national
governments to have September proclaimed as a national event in their countries.
This year, WHA's Third Global Convention took place in Rome, scheduled around the IHS Congress to present another significant step forward. Carrying the message "Strengthening Patient Organizations Globally," the WHA presented opportunities for representatives of member organizations to learn about current issues and research, and to meet to exchange information and their own experiences. WHA is currently developing a comprehensive media and awareness platform for use by our members for this event.
More
about the WHA
The World Headache Alliance was incorporated in 1997 and has offices in London,
England, and Ontario, Canada. There are currently 38 member head pain
organizations in 26 countries around the world. To assist in reducing the burden
of headache disorders, the WHA has two main goals:
To lobby governments and other agencies on the unmitigated burdens of headache and the cost-effectiveness of their alleviation
To raise awareness of headache as a public health concern.
As stated on their web site, "The World Headache Alliance (WHA) exists to relieve the suffering of people affected by headache throughout the world, in particular, by sharing information among headache organisations and by increasing the awareness and understanding of headache as a public health concern with profound social and economic impact."
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