Featured Faculty to Watch: The Revolution & Paradigm Shift in Treatment of Migraine Conference

On July 16-17, the Revolution & Paradigm Shift in Treatment of Migraine conference will host clinicians and researchers specializing in migraine care to address evolving approaches to the diagnosis and management of migraine and other primary headache disorders.

According to the conference’s stated educational objectives,1 the program is designed to help clinicians incorporate differential diagnoses of headache disorders, implement preventive treatment as migraine progresses or transforms, employ treatment options for pediatric migraine, assess challenges and treatment protocols for post-traumatic headache, and use therapeutic tools that address gender-specific challenges in women with migraine.

Several featured faculty sessions highlight the breadth of those priorities, from migraine pathophysiology and prevention to the clinical phases and lived burden of migraine disease.

Merle Diamond, MD
President and Managing Director, Diamond Headache Clinic; Ascension Saint Joseph – Chicago Diamond Headache Clinic Inpatient Unit

Session: Migraine Disease: Yesterday & Today

Dr. Diamond will present a session focused on how migraine disease has been understood and treated over time. Dr. Diamond joined Diamond Headache Clinic in 1989 and currently serves as president and managing director of all Diamond Headache Clinic locations, as well as the Ascension Saint Joseph – Chicago Diamond Headache Clinic Inpatient Unit.

Why this matters: A historical perspective on migraine care can help clinicians understand how the field has moved beyond viewing migraine as an episodic headache condition alone. For clinicians caring for patients with primary headache disorders, this type of framing may provide context for current diagnostic expectations, treatment goals, and the growing emphasis on earlier recognition, prevention, and individualized disease management.

Andrew Blumenfeld, MD, FAAN, FAHS
Director, The Los Angeles Headache Center; Faculty Neurologist, Cedars-Sinai; Director, Haven Headache

Session: Migraine as a Brain Disease (Pathophysiology)

Dr. Blumenfeld will discuss migraine as a brain disease, with a focus on pathophysiology. Dr. Blumenfeld is board certified in neurology and certified in headache medicine. His research interests have included the use of onabotulinumtoxinA for migraine, and he helped develop the injection protocol used in pivotal migraine trials.

Why this matters: Understanding migraine pathophysiology is central to modern headache care. For clinicians, recognizing migraine as a neurologic disease with distinct mechanisms can support more precise diagnosis, improve communication with patients, and help connect clinical presentation with appropriate acute and preventive treatment strategies.

Dawn Buse, PhD
Clinical Professor of Neurology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Session: Migraine Phases

Dr. Buse will present her session on migraine phases such as, prodrome, aura, headache or attack phase, and postdrome. Dr Buse is a clinical professor of neurology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, a licensed psychologist, and a member of the board of directors of the Headache Cooperative of the Pacific. Her clinical work includes biobehavioral approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy, guided visual imagery, biofeedback, and mindfulness training.

Why this matters: Greater recognition of prodrome, aura, headache, and postdrome migraines may help clinicians identify migraine earlier, counsel patients more effectively, and address symptoms and disability across the full attack cycle. Dr Buse’s background also stresses the importance of considering behavioral, psychological, and patient-reported dimensions of migraine care.

Stewart J. Tepper, MD, FAHS
Vice President, New England Institute for Neurology and Headache; Professor of Neurology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth

Session: Migraine Prevention—Goals, Targets

Dr. Tepper will address migraine prevention, including goals and targets of treatment. Dr Tepper is vice president of the New England Institute for Neurology and Headache in Stamford, Connecticut, and professor of neurology at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth.

Why this matters: Preventive treatment is a major focus in contemporary migraine management, particularly for patients whose disease is progressing, transforming, or causing substantial impairment. A session focused on goals and targets may help clinicians think beyond attack reduction alone and consider broader treatment aims, including functional improvement, reduced disability, and individualized therapeutic decision-making.

A Program Focused on Practical Migraine Care

Taken together, the featured sessions suggest a program focused on the evolving clinical framework for migraine care: understanding migraine biology, improving diagnosis, recognizing disease burden across phases, and identifying appropriate treatment goals. For physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, and other clinicians who care for patients with headache disorders, the conference agenda reflects several of the core challenges in migraine management today.

Reference
The Revolution & Paradigm Shift in Treatment of Migraine. Agenda. Cvent. Accessed June 26, 2026. https://web.cvent.com/event/5c9d8c23-5024-4a23-a713-7c937327d7cc/websitePage:a831e35d-e674-4b89-975d-a55cf6034cb0