Board Walk

Board Walk – October 2020

Interested in the headache field? The International Headache Society is there to help

My name is Marco Lisicki, and I see my story as an example of how the International Headache Society (IHS) can help someone who is interested in the headache field to develop their career. When I was a neurology resident, I was deeply curious about the pathophysiological aspects behind headache disorders. I wanted to learn more about headache science and I needed to find a way. It was back then that I had my first introduction to the IHS. I remember going through the old IHS website looking for opportunities until one day an advert for a fellowship position at the Headache Research Unit of the University of Liege in Belgium was posted in the news section. This was my dream fellowship, and that is what I wrote on my application letter. Luckily for me, I was given the position for what was supposed to be a one-year fellowship but ended up being my PhD. Working with Professor Jean Schoenen generated a whole new vision of headache disorders for me. I was learning a lot, and I wanted to learn more.

Cephalalgia 2020, Vol. 40(11) 1266–1267 ! International Headache Society 2020 Article reuse guidelines: sagepub.com/journals-permissions DOI: 10.1177/0333102420952602 journals.sagepub.com/home/cep

At that time, again, the IHS was there for me. Going through the IHS website, I found out about the Master of Headache Disorders programme of the University of Copenhagen. The curriculum seemed amazing, but the costs were beyond my budget. It was only thanks to an IHS grant that partially covered my tuition fees that I was able to enrol. This 2-year course was truly a lifechanging experience; I enjoyed every class. These are not the only examples of career-boosting opportunities that the IHS has provided me (and several others). The IHS also made it possible for me to attend two International Headache Academies (iHEAD) and International Headache Congresses (IHC) where I was able to connect with numerous colleagues from different centres across the globe. Furthermore, I participated in the IHS’s Juniors Special Interest group, which allowed me to engage with young headache specialists from all sorts of different backgrounds to pursue the same goal: To promote clinical and scientific development amongst early career headache-dedicated healthcare providers from all over the world. Now I am back home in Argentina working together with an amazing group of people to develop headache science and awareness locally and regionally. I am currently serving as a co-opted Trustee on the Board of the IHS, but even when my term is finally over I will continue doing everything possible in order to help colleagues interested in the headache field and seeking opportunities to advance their careers, just as the IHS has done for me. Marco Lisicki Medical and Scientific Coordinator, Headache Department, Neuroscience Unit, ConciCarpinella Institute, Urquiza 358, 5000, C ordoba, Argentina. Email: [email protected]

Lisicki and Skorobogatykh

Shifting the paradigm of headaches in the minds of doctors, society and government – wherever you are

My name is Kirill Skorobogatykh: I am a neurologist, and head of the University Headache Clinic in Moscow. It is a great honour and privilege for me to be included in the IHS board and to be Chair of the Russian Linguistic Special Interest Group. I really hope that this tenure will be beneficial in reducing the burden of headaches in Russia. And this burden is really enormous. We have a very high prevalence of headaches in Russia: More than 20% of the adult population suffer from migraine and about 10% of the population from chronic daily headaches. Migraine and other primary headaches are largely neglected both by society and the government. This is a worldwide problem. The country-specific problem in Russia is that the low spread of English among the population (and among doctors) has led to a low

1267 penetration of the concept of evidence-based medicine in both practice and medical education. Irrelevant headache diagnosis and outdated headache management are the result of these factors. Thus, education is the cornerstone of all other activities to reduce the burden of headache. My colleagues and I learn a lot from IHS education and training projects (iHEAD, scholarships, fellowships, etc), both from a medical and organisational point of view. Therefore, for me, as a Trustee, the primary task is to increase the availability of information generated by IHS for Russian-speaking doctors by localising it. The second task is to expand the network of communication between Russian-speaking specialists from different countries. In many post-Soviet countries, doctors have common problems and a joint search for solutions, and exchange of experience, are very important. The third task to increase the number of IHS members from Russia – the educational potential of the society is great, and more neurologists should benefit from this. The fourth is to set up a nationwide registry for headache research integrated into international registries. All these tasks, in their essence, are the broadcast of the mission and vision of IHS throughout Russia. Kirill Skorobogatykh Head of University Headache Clinic, 2 bld 1 Molodogvardeyskaya str., Moscow, 121467, Russia. Email: [email protected]

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Board Walk Board Walk – October 2020 Interested in the headache field? The International Headache Society is there to help My name is Marco Lisicki...
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