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June 1, 2026

is the Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­’s political action committee, and it’s the only PAC in Washington, DC, focused specifically on neurology. By supporting neurology-friendly candidates for the US House and Senate, and by opening doors for neurology advocates to attend events where they can educate influential members of Congress, it serves as a powerful, bipartisan voice for Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ members and their patients.

BrainPAC is led by appointed Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ members. For a look at what it is and how it works, here’s a Q&A with BrainPAC Executive Committee Vice Chair Nina Yakovlevna Riggins, MD, FÂ鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­.

How did you get involved with advocacy?

I’m a headache neurologist, and early in my career I started realizing that sometimes we have effective, FDA-cleared treatments for migraine and other headache disorders. But there would still be barriers for insurance approval, and I couldn't get those newer treatments to my patients.

I started with local advocacy, joined by people living with migraine. We went to the local newspaper and published an article about neuromodulation devices. These generally have lesser side effects than many medications, but we couldn’t get them into treatment plans because of insurance.

Shortly after that, I was at the Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ Annual Meeting, where I spoke with Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ staff about BrainPAC and other national policy advocacy. I felt very lucky to be able to join the effort and advocate for everyone with neurological disorders and for my profession.

What drew you to BrainPAC specifically?

In my first visits to the Hill as an early-career neurologist, I remember being really surprised that we had to start with what neurology is, how prevalent neurological diseases are, the burden of neurological disease, and how neurology is different from other specialties.

BrainPAC is a crucial tool to educate lawmakers about the issues that matter to the profession of neurology. Only a tiny amount of lawmakers know what it's like to be a physician or researcher, and almost none of them know what it's like to be a neurologist. Every single one of them, however, votes on policies that impact neurologists. BrainPAC is how we can educate them on why these issues matter to our community and how policies could affect people who live with neurological disease.

How does BrainPAC work?

BrainPAC gets contributions from Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ members and uses those funds to support pro-neurology candidates running for Congress. We also use funds to attend events with members of Congress who are in a position to help or harm neurology.

Through BrainPAC, neurology advocates can attend in-person meetings with members of Congress and candidates year-round, educating them and highlighting our priority issues. The individuals we support are decided by a scorecard approved by the BrainPAC Executive Committee, so it’s an objective process. 

BrainPAC doesn’t support any particular political party; we’re there for all neurology. We often bring up that we’re not blue or red—we’re neurology green. I also want to note that we advocate for all of neurology, adult and pediatric. 

What are some recent advocacy successes that BrainPAC helped support?

Last year, major cuts and a dramatic restructuring were proposed for NIH. We really saw the strength of our relationships and advocacy when neurology's congressional champions protected neuroscience and even achieved a small but meaningful NIH funding increase.

We were also recently able to achieve a Medicare reimbursement increase for neurology, and we continue to work towards systemic reform of Medicare reimbursement such as a permanent inflationary update.

Telehealth access is another recent focus area. We secured a more sustainable two-year extension for telehealth flexibilities, and this year, we continue to advocate for a permanent extension. These are all pretty significant wins for neurology.

How can members get involved with advocacy and BrainPAC? 

Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ members who are US citizens or permanent residents can donate to BrainPAC! Every amount helps and is a 100% investment in neurology's advocacy in DC. 

There are many additional ways to join our efforts. Read the Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­’s Capitol Hill Report to stay informed and join PONS, the Political Outreach for Neurological Support network, for even more advocacy news and opportunities.

Together, we can work to move the field of neurology forward and support those living with neurological disease.

Visit  to learn more.

Contributions to BrainPAC are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes. The maximum amount that an individual can contribute to BrainPAC is $5,000 per year. Contributions from foreign nationals in any amount are prohibited by federal law. All contributions to BrainPAC are voluntary. If this solicitation suggests a contribution in a particular amount, it is only a suggestion. You may give more, less or nothing at all, and the amount given, or your refusal to give, will not benefit or disadvantage you in any way in your employment. All contributions will be used in connection with federal elections by providing monetary contributions and other support to candidates for federal office. Federal law requires us to use best efforts to collect and report the name, address, occupation and employer of each individual whose aggregate contributions exceed $200 in a calendar year.