American Headache Society Award Recipients Recognized at the 68th Annual Scientific Meeting

The American Headache Society (AHS) has recognized the contributions of a distinguished group of clinicians, researchers, educators, trainees, and service leaders for their contributions to the field of headache medicine. The award recipients were recognized at the 68th Annual Scientific Meeting, celebrating their achievements and accomplishments across headache research, education, and leadership. Several recipients are scheduled to present lectures, research findings, or posters during the meeting.

Annual Lecture Awards

The Early Career Lecture Award was presented to María Dolores Villar Martínez, MD, of King’s College London in the United Kingdom, for her research, “Visual, Vestibular, and Ocular Motor Changes During Nitroglycerin-Triggered Vestibular Migraine.” The award recognizes the best paper on headache, head or facial pain, or pain mechanisms authored by an early-career researcher.

The Harold G. Wolff Lecture Award was presented to Yaseen Agbaria, PhD, of Washington University in St. Louis, MO, for the paper, “Delta-Opioid Receptors in PAC1-Expressing Cells Regulate Endogenous and Pharmacological Responses to Migraine-Associated Symptoms.” The award honors the best new paper on headache or facial pain.

The John R. Graham Lecture Award was presented to Todd J. Schwedt, MD, MSCI, FAHS, of Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, AZ. Dr. Schwedt was recognized for his lecture, “Evolving Expectations for Migraine Diagnosis and Treatment Outcomes,” and will present during the Annual Scientific Meeting.

The Seymour Solomon Lecture Award was presented to Wouter I. Schievink, MD, of Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, CA, for his presentation, “Navigating the CSF Leak Seascape: 1991–2026.” The award recognizes lasting contributions to clinical headache education.

Lifetime Achievement Award

The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Kathleen B. Digre, MD, FAHS, of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, UT, for career-long contributions to headache medicine.

Annual Service Awards

The following recipients of the 2026 Above and Beyond Award were recognized for their service to the AHS over the past 1 to 2 years:

• Amynah Pradhan, PhD, FAHS, of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO
• Nina Riggins, MD, PhD, FAHS, of the Headache Center of Excellence in Palo Alto, CA

The Distinguished Service Award was presented to Matthew S. Robbins, MD, FAHS, of Weill Cornell Medicine in New York, NY, for long-term service to AHS and the field of headache medicine.

Scholarship Awards

Recipients of the “Frontiers in Headache Research” Scholarship Award will present original research during the Annual Scientific Meeting. Presenting recipients include:

• Nicholas J. Bellacicco, DO, of University of Connecticut/Hartford HealthCare, for research on migraine-related stigma using focus groups
• Evangelia Semizoglou, PhD, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, for multiomic and spatial transcriptomic profiling of human trigeminal ganglia
• Medha Tandon, MBBS, of Mayo Clinic, for research on optic nerve ultrasound in CSF dynamic headache disorders

Poster presenters include Marc Daou, MD; Paige M. Estave, MD, PhD; Leah K. Flatman, PhD; Akhilesh Kotiyal, PhD; Keshet Pardo, MD; Aimen Vanood, MD; and Ailing Eileen Yang, MD.

The Student Research Scholarship Award, introduced in 2026 to support early-career researchers attending the Annual Scientific Meeting, was presented to Yassine Filali, BSE; David M. Hendrix, Sharii Liang, Kensei I. Maeda, MA, and Leah Owen-Oliner, MD.

Headache Journal Awards

The Basic Science Award, recognizing the top basic science article published in Headache during the previous year, was presented to Alberto Ouro, PhD, of the Health Research Institute of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain. Dr. Ouro was recognized for the study, “Serum Levels of Autotaxin Reveal Its Role as a Novel Biomarker of Migraine,” and is scheduled to present the findings on June 5, 2026.

The Member’s Choice Award, selected by AHS members, was presented for the article “Migraine in the Workplace: Work Productivity Impact in a Large US-Based Healthcare System Using a Cross-Sectional Employee Survey” by Olivia Begasse de Dhaem, MD; Allison Verhaak, PhD; Meghan Fajardo, PharmD; and Brian Grosberg, MD.

Source

American Headache Society. 2026 Annual Scientific Meeting Award Recipients. Published May 15, 2026. Accessed June 5, 2026. https://americanheadachesociety.org/news/annual-scientific-meeting-award-recipients-2026