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Abstract Details

America's Headache
Headache
P16 - Poster Session 16 (5:30 PM-6:30 PM)
7-002
To evaluate the ratio of United Council for Neurologic Subspecialities (UCNS) certified headache specialists to the migraine population within the United States.
The UCNS accredits fellowship programs and certifies physicians in different neurological subspecialties. The US population continues to grow rapidly, yet the number of certified headache physicians remains relatively stable.

A similar study was published in the Headache Journal in 2014 by Dr. Noah Rosen “So Many Migraines, So Few Subspecialists: Analysis of the Geographic Location of UCNS Certified Headache Subspecialists Compared to United States Headache Demographics.” Current updated data was obtained from headache specialists certified by the UCNS, which was then cross-referenced with the American Migraine Foundation and Migraine Research Foundation for current practicing locations. Estimated state populations from 2018 were taken from the US Census.
As of 2019, there are 570 UCNS certified headache specialists, of which 518 are practicing within the United States. 2 are practicing in Canada and therefore not included in this study. 28 states have 5 or fewer UCNS certified headache specialists, with seven states (Alaska, Arkansas, Kansas, Montana, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Wyoming) having no UCNS certified headache specialists at all. Five states with the most UCNS headache specialists include Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, California, New York.
Despite the growing interest in the field of headache and the development of accredited headache fellowships, there is still a gap between the number of people suffering from headaches and those who can provide specialty care. Since the first publication in 2014, there has been no significant progress in infiltrating under-served areas. Given that there are only approximately 518 certified headache specialists nationally, many patients may obtain care from general neurologists or primary care physicians, which may not always be sufficient in cases of complex headache syndromes.
Authors/Disclosures
Shirley Ju, MD
PRESENTER 		No disclosure on file
Kenneth Shubin Stein, MD Dr. Shubin Stein has nothing to disclose.