Evaluating the Education Process for Migraine Care: Courtney White, MD

WATCH TIME: 2 minutes

"There needs to be more education. I recognize that there are a lot of other common disorders and diseases that deserve that as well, but again, relatively to how common it is. We spend more time talking about these rare zebras instead of what you’re going to see."

As someone who’s dealt with migraine, Courtney White, MD, understands the detrimental effects it can have on a patient’s daily life. She was 23 years old and in medical school when she experienced her first migraine attack. It did not come as much of a surprise to her, as a number of her family members have struggled with the disease before, but it did offer her explicit insight into the patient experience.

White recently completed fellowship at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and now serves as a headache specialist at the Jefferson Headache Center. While White specialized in migraine, she feels that the overall education about the disease, which nears around 4 hours for neurologists, does not suffice for how great of a burden it causes. Migraine is currently the third most prevalent illness in the world, with around 12% of the US population suffering from the disease.

As such, each year, the US loses billions of dollars in lost productivity from migraine. Considering its severity, nonheadache specialists should remain well-versed in treating migraine, according to White. She sat down with NeurologyLive at an event by Miles for Migraine to discuss her education process and why there should be a greater push across all neurology to improve how clinicians handle patients with the disease.