After years working together on various research efforts to further the understanding, diagnosis and treatment of migraine, the Hartford HealthCare (HHC) Ayer Neuroscience Institute Headache Center and the internationally-recognized Migraine Research Foundation (MRF) have announced an official, permanent collaboration.
The Migraine Research Foundation closed at the end of 2021, directing more than $1.25 million to the Headache Center to be used for headache research and administration of its ongoing grants program. MRF Founder and Executive Director Cathy Glaser was named co-chair of the Headache Center’s Research Council, and will work with Co-Chair Dr. Brian Grosberg, the Center’s medical director.
“Our work is far from done, but the Migraine Research Foundation’s next chapter is just beginning,” Glaser said, adding that the decision to align with Hartford HealthCare came after an extensive international search. “We find HHC to be completely aligned with MRF’s goals and values. I will work closely with them to expand the reach and scope of its research program and carry on our legacy.”
Here are highlights from the Feb. 18 announcement in Hartford:
The connection promises to be mutually beneficial. The Headache Center, Glaser said, is an integrated, systemwide, interdisciplinary program perfectly positioned to conduct “high-impact, patient-centered research to help patients and advance the field of headache medicine.”
At the same time, Dr. Grosberg anticipated the power of harnessing the Migraine Research Foundation’s “wealth of knowledge and vast network to advance our capabilities and make us a leader in headache research.”
In the newly structured Headache Center Research Program, Dr. Allison Verhaak will serve as director of research and Dr. Dale Bond as director of research integration. The multidisciplinary Headache Research Council will continue to meet monthly and includes specialists in such fields as behavioral health, rehabilitation, women’s health, pain management, integrative medicine, medical weight loss, sleep medicine and diagnostic imaging.
“It was this interdisciplinary collaboration that led Cathy to want to join with us,” Dr. Grosberg said. “It is unique in the country, if not the world. This interdisciplinary infrastructure offers the opportunity to undertake synergistic studies that are truly meaningful for improving patient outcomes and advancing the field of headache medicine.”