Neurology
Headache & Pain
Our mission is to improve the lives of individuals affected by chronic pain and headache disorders by conducting cutting-edge research into pain mechanisms and treatment, and training future clinicians and scientists to approach pain with scientific rigor, empathy and a focus on functional restoration.
Research
Faculty and researchers in the Headache & Pain Section are engaged in translational and clinical investigations that span the neurobiology of pain, novel analgesic development and real-world treatment effectiveness. Our research program benefits from close integration with the University of Arizona Health Sciences Center for Innovation in Brain Science and the Department of Pharmacology.
Ongoing projects explore the mechanisms of central sensitization, pain chronification and neuroinflammation, with a focus on identifying therapeutic targets for headache and neuropathic pain. Clinical faculty participate in investigator-led studies and multi-center trials evaluating the safety and efficacy of new migraine therapies, CGRP-targeted treatments and interventional pain techniques.
The section also supports research aimed at improving pain care delivery, particularly in underserved populations and patients with overlapping neurological and systemic conditions. Our goal is to translate scientific discovery into more effective and accessible treatments for all patients suffering from pain.
Education
The Headache & Pain Section plays an active role in educating medical students, neurology residents and pain medicine fellows. Trainees gain hands-on experience in the evaluation and treatment of both acute and chronic headache and pain conditions through outpatient clinics and procedure-based learning. Faculty provide education on headache classification, diagnosis, medication management, procedural interventions and multidisciplinary treatment strategies.
We contribute to the core neurology residency curriculum through dedicated lectures, case-based learning and interdisciplinary pain conferences. Additionally, our partnership with the Department of Anesthesiology supports collaborative training in interventional pain management and pharmacologic therapies, broadening the exposure of trainees to both neurologic and systemic pain syndromes.
By offering comprehensive, patient-centered training rooted in current evidence and future-focused research, we aim to equip learners with the skills necessary to meet the growing demand for effective pain and headache care across clinical settings.
