Robert Shapiro

s National Director of the VHA Headache Centers of Excellence, I’m proud to share our latest podcast on transforming #Migraine care for #Veterans. 🛡️ Key Pearls: ✅ Migraine is a complex neurological disease ✅ HCoE offers a multidisciplinary "whole health" approach ✅ Early intervention is key Watch: facebook.com/share/v/1Airca… @DeptVetAffairs @AANpublic @AHSHeadache @YaleMed #VHA #Neurology #Headache #MedTwitter #VAHealth

Advancing Neurological Care for Those Who Served: The AAN’s New Position on VA Brain Injury 🧠🛡️ I am incredibly proud to have served as the lead author for the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) new position statement regarding Brain Injury within the Veterans Affairs (VA) health system. As a neurologist and National Director of the Headache Centers of Excellence in the VHA, I am deeply passionate about ensuring that our Veterans receive the highest quality neurological care. Brain injury is often an "invisible wound," but its impact on the lives of our heroes and their families is profound. This statement serves as a roadmap for advocacy, research, and clinical excellence to meet their unique needs. Key Highlights of the Position Statement: 🏥 Specialized Access: We advocate for guaranteed access to board-certified neurologists and interdisciplinary teams for all Veterans suffering from Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and its complex sequelae. 🤯 Comorbidity Management: A dedicated focus on managing the "polytrauma triad," including the integration of care for post-traumatic headache, post-traumatic epilepsy, and sleep disorders. 🔥 Toxic Exposure Awareness: Formal recognition of the neurological risks associated with military exposures, including blast injuries and toxic substances from open burn pits. 🔬 Research Funding: A call for sustained federal investment in VA-led research to develop innovative diagnostics and treatments for chronic brain health conditions. 🤝 Strengthening Partnerships: Enhancing the collaboration between the AAN, the VA, and community providers to ensure no Veteran falls through the cracks of the healthcare system. It was an honor to collaborate with a dedicated team of experts to bring this vision to life. Special thanks to my co-authors and the AAN Advocacy team: @NajibUmer | @RashmiHalker | @SarahNelsonMD | @JustinJordanMD | @AyubNeishay | @AANAdvocacy Together, we are committed to moving the needle for Veteran brain health and ensuring those who served our country receive the world-class care they deserve. #AAN #AmericanHeadacheSociety #AES #Veterans #TBI #BrainInjury #BurnPits #Neurology #VHA #Neurologist #BrainHealth #VeteranCare #NeurologyAdvocacy #HeadacheExcellence #EpilepsyAwareness

To all those misunderstood by your doctors, I wish you liberation from your pain in the new year. Richard Siken puts words to your fury.

Amen.

Thank you, @tomzellerjr !! for the terrific @sciencefriday interview and your book with the deepest and most balanced reporting yet on the nearly intractable institutional neglect of #migraine and #headache disorders. sciencefriday.com/segments/heada…

Humbled to see "The Headache" receive such expansive and thoughtful coverage in the @NewYorker. Many thanks to Jerome Groopman—a staff writer, physician, and migraineur himself—for the deeply insightful read. newyorker.com/magazine/2025/…

Marathon Monday in Boston

I'm honored to be part of this new Peace Talks Radio episode led by @annasvandine. The episode also includes segments from @headachedoc, Dr. Deb Nelson, and @QuanaMadison. It will air nationally in the USA on 70+ stations. peacetalksradio.com/episode/a-path… #ChronicPain #pain #spoonie

Thank you, @annasvandine, for inviting me to join the discussion of chronic #pain for Peace Talks Radio. A Path to Peace with Chronic Pain peacetalksradio.com/episode/a-path…

In a cohort of previously deployed military personnel, a dose-dependent association existed between open burn pit exposure and medically diagnosed #headache and #migraine. @JSico_MD jamanetwork.com/journals/jaman…

#HOH2025 ⁦@AHDAorg⁩ ⁦@headacheMD⁩ ⁦@EhrlichNP⁩ ⁦@miles4migraine⁩ ⁦@ahsheadache⁩ #AANAdvocacy ⁦@AANmember⁩ ⁦@WNGtweets⁩ ⁦@headachedoc⁩ ⁦@williambyoung59⁩ 🧠💜

Nearly half (45%) of people with active #migraine have hesitated to seek care for it. Factors most associated with hesitating include tendency to hide migraine, perceived #stigma towards it, and experiencing greater migraine burden. link.springer.com/content/pdf/10…

#Stigmatizing attitudes towards #migraine, among people without migraine, are magnified by increased contact with people with migraine, and are most severely expressed among people who used to experience migraine. rdcu.be/edldH

@AHDAorg Thank you, @AHDAorg!! So honored and grateful to have my name associated with such a worthy initiative!!!

Congratulations to @headachedoc on the establishment of the Dr. Robert Shapiro Scholarship Fund! #HOH2025

Open Access: Results from the OVERCOME study identifies never being on #migraine prevention & also the presence of #depression as risk factors for migraine progression …adachejournal.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.11… @DawnBuse @headachedoc @SaitAshina @ranicholson

⁦@headachedoc⁩ Dr Sacco ⁦@NoheadachesNoah⁩ ⁦@WNGtweets⁩ #NOH25 #AANAdvocacy ⁦@AANmember⁩ 🧠 ⁦@ahsheadache⁩ ⁦@AHDAorg⁩ ⁦@miles4migraine⁩

Open Access: A new validated tool to measure #migraine-related #stigma may be useful to understand determinants of perceived migraine-related stigma & test interventions to help reduce it …adachejournal.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.11… @SengElizabeth @headachedoc @DawnBuse @SaitAshina @ranicholson et al

🎉 Advocacy win! Thanks to our collective advocacy, the Dept. of Education now affirms students with migraine are protected under Section 504 & IDEA! Together, we’re driving real change. 💜 📖 DOE Guidance: ed.gov/media/document… #MigraineAdvocacy #HeadacheOnTheHill

This is a HUGE win for kids impaired by #migraine in school!!! It’s also another example of the power of the collective advocacy of #Headache on the Hill!! Thank you, HOH advocates!! Your efforts truly make a difference. @AHDAorg ed.gov/media/document…

Peak Vermont