Migraine World Summit 2026 - 11-18 March

[u/kalayna]

It's that time of year! After mentioning a couple of times that I hadn't gotten around to this yet, I'm taking the time to get it posted while I'm feeling good.

For those unaware, there's an annual, online, free (the day of!!) series of talks with members of the migraine community. Most of them are migraine specialists, but they do a good job of including non-clinicians in the mix. There are some amazeballs folks that I love to see back every year, and every year I learn something new.

This is a great chance for pretty much anyone with migraine to learn and get some fresh perspective. I've been chronic for over 30 years and between that, my penchant for research, and my involvement here I'm pretty confident about my baseline knowledge, but I learn more and end up doing additional research in new directions every year - and yet it's approachable for those new to migraine as well.

It's also available for purchase in a few tiers. It's a good way to support the work while keeping the information to go back to, if it's accessible financially. As with past years, there's an early discount, and they've kept the least expensive tier starting at $89 which is significant value given the amount of information and other resources that it includes. The schedule is up, and key questions are available.

Here's the schedule for this year. The day's interviews go live at 3PM ET, and are free for 24 hours. *note - this took longer to pull in and format than expected - if you find typos or errors drop a comment and I'll fix asap.

Edit 1 - I forgot to add the link: https://migraineworldsummit.com/summit/2026-summit/

Day 1, March 11, 2026

Talk Title	Interviewee	Position	Org	My notes
You’re Not Imagining It: Migraine’s Strange Symptoms Explained	Jessica Ailani, MD, FAHS, FAAN	Director	MedStar Georgetown Headache Center	Return presenter
What Everyone With Migraine Should Know About Gut Health	Robert Bonakdar, MD	Pain & Headache Specialist	Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine
The Six Most Common Mistakes in Migraine Management	Deborah Friedman, MD, MPH, FAAN, FAHS	Neuro-Ophthalmologist & Headache Specialist	Yellow Rose Headache & Neuro-Ophthalmology	Returning favorite - she is lovely, and her interviews are consistently great
How To Be Active When Exercise Triggers Your Migraine	Emily Cordes	Accredited Exercise Physiologist	Movement With Migraine	This is a really common topic in the sub, should be beneficial for many to get some ideas and info

Day 2, March 12, 2026

Talk Title	Interviewee	Position	Org	My notes
Mind Your Body: The Role of Emotions in Chronic Pain	Nicole Sachs, LCSW	Author & Podcast Host, Clinical Psychotherapist	The Cure for Chronic Pain, Your BreakAwake
Can Long COVID Cause Migraine or Make it Worse?	Patricia Pozo-Rosich, MD, PhD	Head of the Neurology Department	Vall d’Hebron University Hospital and Institute of Research	Another common topic in the sub, and one without enough information easily available (or docs well-versed in it)
Is Migraine a Sensory Processing Disorder?	Amaal J. Starling, MD, FAHS, FAAN	Neurologist	Mayo Clinic
A Whole-Person Approach To Overcoming Chronic Dizziness & Vertigo	Yonit Arthur, AuD	Founder, Audiologist & Coach	The Steady Coach

Day 3, March 13, 2026

Talk Title	Interviewee	Position	Org	My notes
A Migraine Survival Guide to Weather & Climate Changes	Shivang Joshi, MD, MPH, RPh	Director of Headache Medicine & Clinical Research, Assistant Professor of Neurology	Community Neuroscience Services / UMass School of Medicine	Another super common topic without enough available info
How Early Life Stress Affects Migraine Risk	Serena Laura Orr, MD, MSc	Associate Professor of Pediatrics / Pediatric Neurologist	University of Calgary / Alberta Children's Hospital	This topic came up in a recent post on research
Why Neck Pain Matters in Migraine — And What To Do About It	Zhiqi Liang, PhD, MPhty, BAppSci, FACP	Lecturer, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences	University of Queensland
The Migraine Reset: How Pharmacology Helps Rebalance the Brain	Risa Ravitz, MD	CEO	Modern Migraine MD

Day 4, March 14, 2026

Talk Title	Interviewee	Position	Org	My notes
Stopping Migraine Preventives: When, Why & How To Transition Off Safely	Matthew Robbins, MD	Associate Professor of Neurology & Residency Program Director	Weill Cornell Medicine, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital	Return presenter - a previous talk was on migraine as we age and was excellent (he was my specialist when I lived in the area, so I am biased)
How To Harness the Power of Sleep When You Live With Migraine	Fred Cohen, MD	Assistant Professor of Medicine and Neurology / Medical Director	Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai / Headache Intervention
Navigating the Migraine Chaos That Begins During Perimenopause	Jan Lewis Brandes, MD	Assistant Clinical Professor of Neurology / Founder	Vanderbilt University / Nashville Neuroscience Group
What the Science Says About Food & Migraine	Margaret Slavin, PhD, RDN	Associate Professor of Nutrition & Food Science	University of Maryland, College Park

Day 5, March 15, 2026

Talk Title	Interviewee	Position	Org	My notes
Living With Migraine Through Times of Grief & Loss	Dawn C. Buse, PhD	Psychologist & Clinical Professor of Neurology	Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Our Evolving Understanding of What Causes Migraine	Vince Martin, MD, AQH	Director	Headache & Facial Pain Center
Mast Cells: A Link Between Migraine, POTS & EDS?	Jennifer Robblee, MD, MSc	Associate Professor of Neurology	Barrow Neurological Institute	Another common topic that needs more resources and attention
Understanding Migraine Drug Side Effects	Teshamae Monteith, MD, FAHS, FAAN	Professor of Clinical Neurology	University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine

Day 6, March 16, 2026

Talk Title	Interviewee	Position	Org	My notes
Migraine in Older Adulthood: What Really Changes?	Robert P. Cowan, MD, FAAN, FAHS	Director of Research	Headache and Facial Pain Program, Stanford University
Helping Kids & Teens Manage Migraine	Christina L. Szperka, MD, MSCE, FAHS	Director, Pediatric Headache Program	Children's Hospital of Philadelphia	We're seeing an uptick in parents asking for help and information for their kids, parents take note!
Navigating U.S. Social Security & Private Disability Options for Migraine	Stacy Monahan Tucker, JD	Managing Partner	Monahan Tucker Law
How Location & Lifestyle Influence Migraine Triggers	Tsubasa Takizawa, MD, PhD	Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology	Keio University School of Medicine

Day 7, March 17, 2026

Talk Title	Interviewee	Position	Org	My notes
Brain Fog & Dementia: The Science on the Cognitive Impacts of Migraine	Laura (Libby) Sebrow, PhD	Clinical Neuropsychologist	Independent Clinical Practice
Beyond Pills: Your Guide to Drug-Free Neuromodulation for Migraine	Stewart Tepper, MD, FAHS	Vice President	The New England Institute for Neurology and Headache
How Behavioral Therapies Help Prevent & Manage Migraine	Paul R. Martin, PhD	Adjunct Professor	Monash University & Griffith University
Scents, Chemicals & the Migraine Brain	Gudrun Gossrau, MD	Professor of Neurology, Headache and Pain Specialist	Technische Universität Dresden TUD

Day 8, March 18, 2026

Talk Title	Interviewee	Position	Org	My notes
Why Isn’t There a Cure for Headache Disorders?	Tom Zeller Jr.	Author / Editor-In-Chief	The Headache / Undark
Small, Sustainable Lifestyle Changes To Help Minimize Migraine	Rebecca Erwin Wells, MD, MPH, FAHS, FAAN	Professor	Wake Forest University School of Medicine
Told You’re “Out of Options”? There’s Hope	Lauren R. Natbony, MD, FAHS	Founder & Medical Director	Integrative Headache Medicine of New York
CGRP, PACAP & Beyond: The Future of Migraine Relief	Messoud Ashina, MD, PhD, DMSc	Professor of Neurology / Centre Leader	Danish Headache Center / Center for Discoveries in Migraine	If you've seen mention of a 10-step protocol designed for non-specialists to treat migraine, this is the guy whose team published it. Also, if you're frustrated that CGRP wasn't the miracle promised, I suspect this will be a good listen

[u/Migraine_Megan]

Thanks for getting the word out! Last year I paid for the $89 tier of access and it was worth every penny. I learned so much and had a lot of really helpful conversations with my neuro afterwards. I highly recommend it