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President
Mason, Ohio
President
Mason, Ohio
Doctor Vincent Martin has been the President of the National Headache Foundation since May 2016. Before that, he served as the Vice President for five years. He is also the President of the Ohio Headache Association. Doctor Martin joined the NHF Board in 2009.
Currently, Doctor Martin is Professor of Clinical Medicine, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, where he received his M.D. and completed his residency in Internal Medicine. He is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine, board certified in Headache Medicine by the United Council for Neurologic Subspecialties, and is a Diplomat of the National Board for the Certification of Headache Experts. Doctor Martin is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and a Fellow of the American Headache Society. He serves as a reviewer for the Journal of Family Practice and the European Journal of Neurology.Doctor Martin is an Associate Editor for the journal, Headache.
He has written over 60 articles for the professional literature and contributed 10 chapters to various headache textbooks. Doctor Martin serves as Chair of the NHF research committee, and has conducted many studies on headache.
He and his wife have 3 children, and reside in Mason, Ohio.
Vice President & Fundraising Chairperson
New York, New York
Vice President & Fundraising Chairperson
New York, New York
Emily Kandel is an interior designer in the New York Metropolitan area. Her design experience ranges from high-end residential to health care interiors. After completing a BFA in design, Emily worked in the facilities department of Citibank Credit Card Services. Subsequently, she worked for M (Group), high-end interiors firm in NYC. After leaving M (Group), Emily went out on her own, first founding Inverness Design Group with a partner, and most recently, she has owned Emily Kandel Design.
Emily was raised in New York City and attended the Brearley School. She has a BA from Bryn Mawr College, and a BFA from The Parsons School of Design.
She and her husband, Paul, who serves on the NHF Honorary Board, live in New York City. Emily, her husband, and daughters, Allie and Libby, established the Libby Fund in 2012. The Libby Fund is an affiliate of the National Headache Foundation and supports research into adolescent migraine.
Vice President
Nashville, Tennessee
Vice President
Nashville, Tennessee
Jan Lewis Brandes, MD, MS, holds an appointment as an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Neurology at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee; she is also the Founding Director of the Nashville Neuroscience Group, a private headache clinic in Nashville, Tennessee. Prior to attending Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, where she subsequently earned her medical degree, Dr. Brandes was named a Fulbright Scholar and attended the Robert Koch Institute of Virology, Free University, in Berlin, Germany. Her postgraduate medical training was completed at Vanderbilt University Medical Center where she served as chief resident in neurology. She also holds a Master of Science degree in microbiology from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. She is certified by the National Board of Medical Examiners, The American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, and the National Board for Certification in Headache Management and has been UCNS certified in headache medicine.
Dr. Brandes has been active in clinical trials for more than two decades. She has served as the principal or co-principal investigator in more than 100 studies, primarily examining issues in migraine including acute treatment, prevention, and menstrual migraine. She has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals including JAMA, Cephalalgia, Headache, and Lancet Neurology.
Dr. Brandes is a Fellow of the American Headache Society and the American Academy of Neurology. She is a former member of the board of Directors of the American Headache Society and is the past president of the American Council for Headache Education. In recognition of her professional endeavors, she has been named to Best Doctors in America from 1996 through 2020. She is currently serving on the Board of Directors for the National Headache Foundation.
Dr. Brandes has been a full-time clinical investigator and women’s health neurologist for more than 25 years, having just recently retired from clinical practice. Teaching and lecturing nationally and internationally on numerous women’s healthcare topics, her primary interests are headache medicine, including hormonal influences on migraine, from menarche to menopause.
Secretary
Lansing, Michigan
Secretary
Lansing, Michigan
Jill Dehlin serves as Chairperson of the NHF’s Patient Leadership Council. Jill also sits on the Boards of the Coalition for Headache and Migraine Patients (CHAMP) and the Alliance for Headache Disorders Advocacy (AHDA).
Jill earned an Associate degree in Nursing from Kellogg Community College, a Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Education from Central Michigan University, and Master of Arts degrees from Michigan State University in Education Technology, and from Central Michigan University in Health Promotion and Program Management. Jill was working towards a Ph.D. from Michigan State University, until having to withdraw due to chronic migraine.
Treasurer
Chicago, IL
Treasurer
Chicago, IL
Konrad Kothmann is the Chief Operations Officer / Chief Financial Officer of the Diamond Headache Clinic, Managing Director of Cephalgia Services Management Group, LLC, and Board Member and Treasurer of the Diamond Headache Clinic Research and Educational Foundation.
Vice President
Ozark, Missouri
Vice President
Ozark, Missouri
Roger K. Cady, MD, AQH, was elected to the Board in February 1998. He served as the Associate Executive Chairman of the National Headache Foundation from 2010 to 2016.
Dr. Cady graduated from the Mayo Medical School (Rochester, Minnesota) and completed his residency in family medicine at St. Francis-Mayo (La Crosse, Wisconsin) in 1980. Fulfilling a Public Health Scholarship commitment, he began medical practice in the rural community of Hillsboro WI. In 1986, he became the medical director of the Shealy Institute, an internationally recognized program dedicated to the holistic management of pain and chronic disease in Springfield, MO.
In 1993, he was the lead investigator and first author of the pivotal study on sumatriptan (Imitrex), a novel break-through acute treatment for migraine, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). This propelled Dr. Cady to become a key thought leader in the medical specialty of headache.
In 1996, he founded the Headache Care Center (Springfield, Missouri) and developed an intensive outpatient inter-disciplinary care model for managing patients living with migraine. The same year, he founded Clinvest, the research arm of his corporation. He designed several investigator-initiated studies that fostered large comprehensive national research trials and were instrumental in expanding the understanding of migraine from a benign self-limited episodic disorder into a potentially pervasive chronic disease.
With Kathleen Farmer-Cady, PsyD, his wife, and medical partner, he founded Primary Care Network (PCN), a nonprofit corporation dedicated to CME education, that initially was devoted solely to migraine. PCN provided hundreds of clinicians with in-depth education on diagnosis, pathophysiology, and treatment of migraine. Many headache specialists today attribute their educational experience with PCN as pivotal in their decision to pursue headache as an integral part of their medical practice.
As a member of the Board of Directors of the National Headache Foundation (NHF) and a Fellow of the American Headache Society, he has been actively involved in the clinical advancement of patient-center care, collaborative care models for migraine, and advancing clinically-based headache research.
He has designed and participated in approximately 300 clinical trials primarily evaluating novel migraine therapies and treatments. His work has been recognized as instrumental in defining the role of triptans in the acute treatment of migraine; defining the clinical spectrum of migraine; the early intervention paradigm for acute treatment; clarifying the relationship between migraine and “sinus” headache; the role of CGRP in chronification of migraine and temporal mandibular dysfunction; and improving communication between patients and healthcare providers. And has authored approximately 400 scientific articles.
He was awarded two Lifetime Achievement Awards by the National Headache Foundation (2012 and 2021) and the Harold Wolff Award (2000) from the American Headache Society for his research on the spectrum of migraine.
In 2016, Alder Biopharmaceuticals offered Dr. Cady an opportunity to assist in designing the clinical studies leading to FDA approval of eptinezumab (Vyepti), a monoclonal antibody for the prevention of migraine. These clinical studies were the first to demonstrate day-one efficacy for a migraine preventive drug; efficacy of a monoclonal antibody in patients with a dual diagnosis of chronic migraine and Medication Overuse Headache; validation of a novel patient-specified most bothersome symptom as a patient-reported outcome measure, and recently the positive impact of preventive treatment administered during an active migraine attack.
Dr. Cady has authored multiple publications in major medical journals such as JAMA, Neurology, Headache, and Cephalalgia advancing current treatment paradigms for the prevention of migraine. Current interests include furthering the clinical development of eptinezumab. redefining preventive treatment goals for chronic migraine. and treatment of concussion.
He and his wife, Dr. Kathy Farmer-Cady, reside in Ozark, Missouri.
Board Member
St. Louis, Missouri
Board Member
St. Louis, Missouri
Dr. Timothy R. Smith is President and CEO StudyMetrix Research and StudyMetrix Consulting in St. Louis, MO. Dr. Smith’s background and training include pharmacy, internal medicine physician, headache specialist, researcher, consultant, and healthcare business owner/executive.
Dr. Smith received his Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy degree in 1983 from the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, and his Doctor of Medicine degree in 1989 from the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Dr. Smith completed his residency in Internal Medicine at St. John’s Mercy Medical Center, St. Louis, in 1992 and received his Internal Medicine Board Certification that same year. Dr. Smith earned a Certificate of Added Qualification in Headache Management from the National Headache Foundation in 2001 and a Subspecialty Certification in Headache Management from the United Council of Neurologic Subspecialties in 2006.
Dr. Smith held several roles with a large health system in the mid-west including Director of Research for a large clinical trials center, Medical Director of a tertiary headache center, and Vice President of Research for the health system. In 2016, Dr. Smith established his own clinical trials center, StudyMetrix Research. In his 22 years of clinical trials and original research, Smith has been an investigator for more than 800 clinical trials and original research projects. He has over 40 peer-reviewed publications to his credit and has written over 200 other articles, abstracts, and book chapters in his career.
Dr. Smith has been awarded several recognitions in the field of headache management, including the Migraine Innovators Award, the NHF Lectureship Award and the AMA Physician’s Recognition Award with Special Commendation. His research has twice been awarded the AHS’s Kaplan Award for Research in Chronic Daily Headache. In 2015, Dr. Smith was honored with the National Headache Foundation’s Lifetime Achievement Award. He is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians, a Fellow of the American Headache Society, a Certified Physician Investigator of the Academy of Clinical Research Professionals, and recently served as First Vice President of the National Headache Foundation.
He lives in St. Louis County, Missouri with his wife, four children, and two grandchildren.
Board Member
Glenview, IL
Board Member
Glenview, IL
Margot Andersen, MSW received her Masters in Social Work from Loyola University. She is a seasoned social worker and has been an advocate for children and families with special education needs for over 20 years. Having parented two adult children with special education needs, Margot brings a unique parent perspective to the practice of advocacy. Margot has been President of the Board of Directors for Thresholds, Illinois’ largest provider of mental health services for people with severe mental health needs. As a thought leader in the Chicago area in the field of mental health, Margot has presented to many groups on various mental health disorders, special education needs, learning disabilities, ADHD, Bipolar Disorder. Margot has presented to parent groups on how to successfully navigate the special education maze, mindfulness and resilience skills for life and pain management.
Margot has had migraine disease for 50 years. While everyone experiences adversity in life, people living with migraine need help bouncing back. Margot is passionate about easing the journey of people with migraine by advocating for more research, medication and treatment options. Five generations in her family, including her daughter and granddaughter have been impacted by this disease. Margot plans to advocate against migraine stigma in the workplace, advocate for better quality of life and resources for people living with migraine. She has been trained as a group support leader by the US Pain Foundation and plans to lead groups through the National Headache Foundation.
Prior to becoming an advocate in 1997, Ms. Andersen had a successful career as a business executive before starting her own business to become an educational advocate for families. Recently, Margot founded the Center for Resilience and Growth where she supports people undergoing various life crises by teaching skills for resilience using Mindfulness techniques.
Margot and her husband, Steve, have a daughter and had a son who passed away as an adult. She is the proud grandmother of two girls, ages 7 and 10.
Board Member
Chicago, Illinois
Board Member
Chicago, Illinois
Doctor Merle Diamond has been a member of the National Headache Foundation Board since 2008. Since 2008, she has been Managing Director of the Diamond Headache Clinic and the Director of the Diamond Inpatient Headache Unit at Saint Joseph Hospital, Chicago. Doctor Diamond received her M.D. from Northwestern University Medical School, and completed residences in Emergency Medicine/Internal Medicine at McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University, Chicago. She is board certified in Internal Medicine from the American Board of Internal Medicine, and was a Fellow of the American Board of Emergency Medicine. Doctor Diamond is a Fellow of the Chicago Institute of Medicine.
She received the Certificate of Added Qualification in Headache Management from the National Board for Certification in Headache Management, and has the Subspecialty Certification for Headache Medicine from the United Council for Neurologic Subspecialties. Doctor Diamond served as a member of the Editorial Board for the journals, Headache Quarterly, Headache, and Headache and Pain.
Doctor Diamond has contributed to over 70 articles in the professional literature, and has co-authored several chapters in headache textbooks. With her father, Doctor Seymour Diamond, she has written Contemporary Diagnosis and Management of Headache and Migraine (several editions),Diagnosing and Managing Headaches, 7th Edition. With Doctor Glen Solomon, she was the Co-Editor of Diamond and Dalessio’s Practicing Physician’s Approach to Headache, 6th Edition.
She is the mother of four children, Max Barack, J.D.; Michael Barack; Jacob Barack; and Zach Barack. Doctor Diamond lives in Glenview, Illinois.
Board Member
Mount Kisco, NY
Board Member
Mount Kisco, NY
Katherine Allen Kessler is a Managing Director and Associate General Counsel at Citigroup Inc. in New York City. Prior to joining Citigroup in 2004, Katie was an attorney in the litigation departments at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius and Latham & Watkins. Katie grew up in New York City and attended the Fieldston School. She has a BA from Emory University and a JD from Duke University School of Law. Katie and her husband Gordon live in Westchester County, NY and have two sons, Noah and Zach.
Board Member
Boston, MA
Board Member
Boston, MA
Paul G. Mathew, MD, DNBPAS, FAAN, FAHS completed his neurology residency at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia, PA, and then completed a fellowship in headache medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. He is board-certified in neurology and headache medicine. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School (HMS), and an Affiliate Member of the HMS Division of Sleep Medicine. He holds positions at three HMS-affiliated institutions. He has clinical appointments at Brigham & Women’s Hospital and Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates/Atrius Health, as well as a teaching appointment at the Cambridge Health Alliance. As part of his headache and sports neurology/concussion practice, Dr. Mathew performs Botox injections, nerve blocks, and trigger point injections.
In terms of his academic responsibilities, he has been involved in the education of countless neurology, psychiatry, internal medicine, family medicine, dental medicine, pain medicine, and headache medicine trainees. He has written over 90 publications and has presented at both national and international conferences. Dr. Mathew has served as a peer reviewer for multiple journals including the American Journal of Managed Care, the British Medical Journal, Cephalalgia, the Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine, Expert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy, Headache, Headache Currents, the Journal of Neuroimaging, Mayo Clinic Proceedings, Molecular Genetics & Genomic Medicine, Neurology, the New England Journal of Medicine, and Pain Medicine. He is the Co-Chief Medical Editor of the journal Practical Neurology. He is an active member of several medical societies including the American Academy of Neurology, the Massachusetts Neurological Association, the American Headache Society, the International Headache Society, the American College of Sports Medicine, the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, and the Indian Medical Association of New England. He is the current Chairman of the American Headache Society Procedural Special Interest Section, a Member of the Board of the Directors of the National Headache Foundation, and an Executive Board Member of the Indian Medical Association of New England.
As a graduate of the American Academy of Neurology’s Palatucci Advocacy Leadership Forum, Dr. Mathew applies his passion and expertise to the role of advocate for both patients and fellow physicians. He has participated in multiple successful lobbying efforts in Washington, DC headed by the American Academy of Neurology to improve patient access to healthcare and research funding. In March 2015, Dr. Mathew was appointed as the neurology representative on the advisory board of the National Board of Physicians and Surgeons (www.NBPAS.org), and in January 2019 was appointed Director of Legislative Affairs. The National Board of Physicians and Surgeons is an organization committed to providing board re-certification that ensures physician compliance with national standards and lifelong learning after completing initial board certification with a member board of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), or the United Council of Neurologic Subspecialties (UCNS).
Dr. Mathew resides in Massachusetts with his wife and two children.
Board Member
New York, NY
Board Member
New York, NY
Michael Pollack is Vice President, Creative Director, CBS Marketing. An Emmy-award-winning producer, he has developed numerous strategic campaigns promoting CBS News, Sports, Entertainment, and Late Night franchises. His work appears nationally in network programming and includes an extensive range of public service announcements addressing health and wellness topics, crisis relief efforts, and other social impact initiatives. He earned his A.B from Brown University and M.A. from Boston University.
Michael and his wife Janine reside in Westchester County, New York where they raised their two children, Zachary and Katie.
Board Member
Carmel, IN
Board Member
Carmel, IN
John Richards has thirty plus years with broad organizational experience and success including sales management, brand management, new product planning, global advocacy and professional relations. Widely recognized for leadership, execution, customer engagement and patient advocacy. Received the Jefferson Award in 2011 for outstanding commitment to public service.
Board Member
Louisville, Kentucky
Board Member
Louisville, Kentucky
Dr. Tad Seifert a graduate of the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He completed his residency in neurology at the University of Texas-Houston and a subsequent fellowship in headache & facial pain at the renowned Houston Headache Clinic. Dr. Seifert currently serves as Director of Norton Healthcare’s Sports Neurology Program in Louisville, Kentucky.
Dr. Seifert is an Independent Neurotrauma Consultant for the NFL and serves as Head of the NCAA’s Headache Task Force. He is currently the Team Neurologist for a number of Kentucky and Indiana-based colleges and universities and is Chairman of the Kentucky Boxing & Wrestling Commission’s Medical Advisory Panel. His research interests include post-traumatic headache in athletes as well as combat sports medicine.
Board Member
Fort Worth, TX
Board Member
Fort Worth, TX
Susan recently founded SLS Health Advocacy Strategies focused on ensuring that the voices, insights, and life experiences of patients and their loved ones are front and center across the biopharma medicine life cycle.
Previously, she was Associate Vice President, Global Alliance Advocacy & Patient Affairs with Allergan, plc for the last 12 years. Additionally, Susan served as Board Member, The Allergan Foundation, and Board Trustee, Allergan International Foundation.
Susan was raised in the California Bay Area. She has an MBA in International Management, and a BS in Marketing & Advertising.
Susan currently resides in Fort Worth, Texas where she also provides administrative support for her husband Dr. David Stone’s general surgery practice for the last 14 years.
New York, New York
Santa Fe, New Mexico
North Chicago, Illinois
Concord, California
Batavia, Illinois
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Cleveland, Ohio
Miramar, Florida
Rancho Mirage, California
San Francisco, California
New York, New York
Bronx, New York
Lansing, Michigan
Ivoryton, Connecticut
April 15, 1925 – October 11, 2019
Doctor Seymour Diamond was the National Headache Foundation’s Executive Chair and one of its founders. Doctor Diamond was Director Emeritus and Founder of the Diamond Headache Clinic, Chicago, Illinois. Previously, he served as Adjunct Professor, Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, as well as Clinical Professor, Department of Family Medicine of The Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, Illinois. From 2009 through 2010, he was also a Lecturer, Department of Family Medicine (Neurology), Loyola University Chicago/Stritch School of Medicine, Maywood, Illinois.
Doctor Diamond received his medical degree from the Chicago Medical School, from which he received the Distinguished Alumni Award in 1977. In November 2002, he received the President’s Award from The Chicago Medical School Alumni Association.
Doctor Diamond served as editor for 16 publications. In addition, he has published over 500 articles in professional literature. Doctor Diamond has authored or co-authored over 63 books, including Diagnosing and Managing Migraine, 7th edition (2008); Headache Through the Ages (with Mary A. Franklin, 2005); Conquering Your Migraine (with Mary A. Franklin, 2001); Headache and Your Child (with Amy Diamond, 2001), and The Headache Godfather (with Charlie Morey, 2015). With Donald J. Dalessio, he has co-edited five editions of The Practicing Physician’s Approach to Headache. In 2015, he served as Editor of the textbook, Headache and Migraine: Biology and Management.
Doctor Diamond lectured throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia, and has held more than 30 professional association offices in the past. In 1988, he was the first recipient of the Migraine Trust Lectureship, from the British Migraine Trust. He received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Association for the Study of Headache, in 1999.
Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer
Thomas Dabertin, MBA, is a life-long resident of the Chicago area. He has been the Director of Operations of the Museum of Science and Industry, Chief Operating Officer of a school district, and a town manager.
For the past 20 years, Tom served as a certified management consultant to several non-profits, local governments, and educational institutions, working to help those organizations succeed. He believes strongly in volunteerism and has served on nearly 40 boards and commissions.
He is also the Chairman and Co-founder of Pierogi Fest, one of Chicagoland’s and the State of Indiana’s largest annual festivals.
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