American Headache & Migraine Association

Did you know that there is a new Migraine patient organization that was formed under the American Headache Society (AHS)? The American Headache & Migraine Association - or better known as the AHMA.

The AHMA was launched last month and is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that is under the authorization of the American Headache Society which is a professional organization for physicians and allied health professionals.

Education, Awareness, Support and Engagement is the goal of the AHMA – to EASE the burden of Migraine and other Headache disorders.

You can join the AHMA organization too! By becoming involved with the AHMA in its early stages, you can help influence and direct the course of AHMA programming to help ensure they meet your needs and those of other members.

Right now, the awesome events and programs that are in place are:

• A members-only support and information forum.  It can be accessed by joining the AHMA.
• A free, members-only patient conference!

The conference is scheduled to be held on Sunday, November 24, 2013 in Scottsdale, Arizona. This conference is right after the AHS physicians’ conference which will allow some of these brightest and most caring physician experts present to us patients on a variety of topics that are important to Headache Disorder patients, their caregivers and loved ones. The AHMA is working very hard to not only give us access to these presentations, but to make the event as affordable as possible.

Many of the great leaders in the Migraine community are on the AHMA Board of Directors. Here is a list of the Board Members and I hope you’re as impressed as I am:

Chair: Teri Robert; Co-Chair: Dr Paul Winner
Chair Elect: Ellen Schnakenberg; Co-Chair Elect: Dr Bert Vargas
Vice Chair: Bob Wold; Co-Vice Chair: Dr Rob Nicholson
Treasurer: Julie Zellner McDonald; Co-Treasurer: Dr Rebecca Wells
Secretary: Diana Lee; Co-Secretary: Dr Rob Cowan

Membership dues for the AHMA are very reasonable. Here are the types of memberships available and the respective dues:

• $15 per year:  Standard Membership
• $250: Lifetime Membership
• $0: Active Duty Military and Immediate Family; Disabled Veterans and Immediate Family
• $25: Family Membership for two or more members in the same family at the same address
• Looking to establish and set dues for a Lifetime Family Membership category is currently in the works.

Please visit EaseHeadacheMigraine page to join AHMA.

The AHMA is already blogging, tweeting and Facebooking! You can like or follow the AHMA (if you haven’t done so already) at:

• Twitter: Twitter.com/AHMAOrg
• Facebook: Facebook.com/AHMAorg
• AHMA Blog: AHMABlog.com

Have you ever hung out with other people who are just like you and have some of the same struggles you face all of the time? I’ve had the opportunity to do this on a couple of occasions and even attended another Migraine event where I was able to talk to some of the Migraine experts afterward. There is no experience like this and I still look back on these events as with very fond memories. In many ways, it was also very rejuvenating.

I actually met one of the Migraine experts, a couple of weeks ago, that will be presenting at the conference in Scottsdale this year. He was so witty and a pleasure to be around. I can’t wait to hear him speak at the conference if I can make it there!

There is so much for you to gain by joining the AHMA. You can make a difference.