FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AMWA and NHF Unite to Support Women Veterans Living with Migraine and Headache Disorders
Lexington, KY & Chicago, IL — November 11, 2025
The American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA) and the National Headache Foundation (NHF) are proud to announce a joint initiative to increase awareness and improve care for migraine and headache disorders among women veterans — a population that experiences these conditions at significantly higher rates than the US population.
Women experience migraine about three times more than men. Additionally, among the veteran community, 36.9% of veterans report experiencing migraine attacks, compared to 12.7% of non-veterans.
For women, the numbers are even more striking. With more than 2 million women having served or currently serving in the military, at least 740,000 women veterans are living with migraine. Yet many continue to face barriers to diagnosis, stigma, and inconsistent access to treatment.
To address this gap, NHF has contributed trusted tools, guides, and learning resources to AMWA’s new Migraine and Headache Awareness Resource Page, available at https://amwa-doc.org/members/students/initiatives/migraine-and-headache-awareness/
“We are excited to partner with NHF on an issue that so profoundly affects women — and especially women who have served,” said Paulette T. Cazares, MD, MPH, President-Elect of AMWA and U.S. Navy Veteran. “This joint AMWA/NHF effort ensures more clinicians are prepared to understand, diagnose, and care for those who have served and more veterans are educated about the impact of migraine.”
NHF’s veteran program, Operation Brainstorm™, is also featured within the AMWA hub. This initiative provides military-specific educational tools and guidance for navigating care across civilian and veteran healthcare systems.
“By combining AMWA’s leadership in women’s health with NHF’s commitment to advancing migraine and headache education, we are strengthening our shared ability to support women veterans,” said Katy Oakley, CEO and Executive Director of the National
Headache Foundation. “Together, we can help ensure that those who have given so much to our country receive the understanding, care, and respect they deserve.”
AMWA and NHF will continue working together to expand provider education, reduce stigma, and help people access effective, evidence-based care for their headache and migraine.
About AMWA
For over a century, the American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA) has been committed to the advancement of women in medicine. Although the number of women choosing careers in medicine has grown substantially, there has not been a commensurate rise in women to senior leadership positions. AMWA’s work helps address this gender gap in leadership, through advocacy, mentorship and sponsorship, leadership development, research, constituency building, and policy reform – with a goal for institutional and cultural transformation in gender equity and career parity.
The American Medical Women’s Association is headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky. For more information, please visit www.amwa-doc.org.
About National Headache Foundation
For more than 55 years, the National Headache Foundation has been dedicated to creating a future where everyone in the world with headache can thrive in optimal, functional and connected lives. NHF understands that headache and migraine disease is still largely misunderstood, underdiagnosed, and undertreated. Additionally, the personal and societal burdens of pain, disability, diminished quality of life and financial cost is under-recognized.
The National Headache Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. For more information, please visit www.headaches.org.
Media inquiries can be directed to Zack Figliuolo at https://headaches.org/media-inquiry/