Headache & Migraine Competitive Grant Program
The Headache & Migraine Competitive Grant Program stands at the forefront of advancing headache medicine by funding groundbreaking quality improvement initiatives. This highly competitive grant program, offered through the collaboration between the American Headache Society and Pfizer, supports projects that have the potential to reshape the field by creating widely applicable tools and driving measurable improvements in patient care. Projects are expected to have a strong focus on improving patient safety, clinical effectiveness, timely diagnosis, and equitable, patient-centered treatment, with an emphasis on practical, scalable solutions that could be implemented in primary care and non-headache specialty settings.
All projects contribute to the core goal of the AHS – improving the lives of people impacted by migraine and other headache disorders.
2026 Grant Cycle - Migraine & Women's Health
Migraine is a prevalent and debilitating neurological disease that disproportionately affects women, impacting quality of life, productivity, and overall health. Recognizing the need for innovative solutions and enhanced care, Pfizer and the American Headache Society (AHS) collaborated to offer a grant opportunity for collaborative quality improvement and research projects focused on migraine and women's health. The aim was to foster high-impact research and initiatives that advance scientific understanding, improve patient outcomes, and address gaps in care.
Three projects were awarded funding in September 2026, with project activities scheduled to begin in December 2026 and continue for two years. Total funding awarded was $530,000.
Grantees
Elizabeth Seng, PhD
Yeshiva University
Brain Fog in Migraine Across the Menopausal Transition
Chia-Chun Chiang, MD
Mayo Clinic
Estrogen Exposure and Vascular Risk in Women Aged 45 and Older with Migraine
Misol Kwon, PhD, RN
The Research Foundation for SUNY on behalf of University at Buffalo
Rotating Night Shift Work, Sleep Health, and Migraine Burden in the Female Nursing Workforce
2026 Grant Cycle - Adult Population
The 2026 Adult Population grant cycle sought innovative quality improvement and research projects with the potential to drive meaningful advances in headache and migraine care for adults. Applicants were encouraged to propose real-world innovations capable of improving the quality and accessibility of care for adults living with headache disorders and migraine.
Four projects were awarded funding in September 2026, with project activities scheduled to begin in December 2026 and continue for two years. Total funding awarded was $853,000.
Grantees
Fawad Khan, MD
Ochsner Clinic Foundation
Quality Metrics for Guidelines Adherence for Migraine in Pregnancy and Post-partum
Jennifer Robblee, MD, MSc, FRCPC, FAHS
Barrow Neurological Institute
Bridging the Language Gap in Migraine Care: A Quality Improvement Initiative for Spanish-Speaking Patients
Juliana VanderPluym, MD, FRCPC
Mayo Clinic (Arizona)
Implementing Emergency Department Greater Occipital Nerve Block for Acute Headache Presentations: A Pragmatic, Barrier-Informed Quality Improvement Initiative
Sara Al-Dahir, BSc, MPH, PharmD, PhD, BCPS
Gulf Medical Relief Fund, Inc
Advancing Equitable Migraine Diagnosis and Disability Reduction in Immigrant and Underserved Communities
2024 Grant Cycle - General Population
The Headache & Migraine Competitive Grant Program launched its first grant cycle in May 2024. Applicants were asked to submit details about how their quality improvement project supports diversity, equity, and inclusion through the study population targeted, the problem or question being addressed, and/or through the project team that is directly involved.
Six projects were awarded funding in April 2026, with project activities scheduled to begin in June 2026 and continue for two years. Total funding awarded was $1,234,504.
Grantees
Chia-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
