Diamond Education Foundation Headache Management Paradigm 2025

Held in November 2025, this course is designed as an advanced, “fluff-free” educational experience that prioritizes clinical application over theoretical research. It reinforces the “paradigm shift” in headache medicine—moving away from viewing migraine as a vascular event and treating it as a complex neurological disease. The curriculum is heavily case-based, allowing attendees to troubleshoot real-world scenarios with national experts. It specifically targets the “gap” between standard guidelines and the nuances of treating difficult or refractory patients in a busy practice.
+ What You Will Learn
Attendees will be able to:

Navigate complex differential diagnoses, distinguishing between migraine, cluster headache, and secondary headache disorders (e.g., CSF pressure issues).

Implement a robust “Acute Care Toolbox” for patients who fail first-line abortive therapies.

Integrate the latest data on CGRP monoclonal antibodies and gepants into long-term preventive strategies.

Manage challenging patient populations through interactive case studies, including pregnant/breastfeeding women, the elderly, and adolescents.

Master interventional skills and “tips and tricks” for procedures like OnabotulinumtoxinA (Botox) and nerve blocks.

Address the behavioral and communicative aspects of chronic pain management, including medication overuse headache (MOH).

+ Event Details

Date: Saturday, November 8, 2025

Location: The University Club of Chicago (76 East Monroe Street), Chicago, Illinois

Organizer: Diamond Headache Clinic Research & Educational Foundation

+ Who Should Attend
This course is tailored for the interdisciplinary team managing headache disorders:

Neurologists and Headache Specialists

Primary Care Physicians (Internal Medicine, Family Practice)

Advanced Practice Providers (Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants) – Note: The foundation often runs a concurrent or related “LEAPPS” (Launching Empowered Advanced Practice Providers) track.

Nurses and Allied Health Professionals

+ Why Attend

Intimate Setting: Held at the historic University Club of Chicago, the venue fosters direct interaction with faculty and peers, unlike massive convention center events.

Clinical Utility: The “Paradigm” series is known for its focus on what to do on Monday morning. It avoids purely academic debates in favor of actionable clinical pearls.

Expert Access: The faculty typically includes leaders from the Diamond Headache Clinic (e.g., Dr. Merle Diamond) and other renowned institutions, offering direct access to their clinical reasoning processes.

 
+ Topics:

01 Migraine Acute Therapy Toolbox
02 Chronic Migraine Epidemiology & Diagnosis
03 Migraine, Depression, and Anxiety – Exploring the Bidirectional Relationship and Treatment Implications
04 Intracranial Hypertension and Hypotension – Recognizing Overlapping Headache Phenotypes
05 Case Study With Special Populations – Geriatrics
06 When Dizzy Is Actually a Migraine
07 Phases of Migraine – New Insights From MCOA and PROGRESS Trials
08 Migraine Management in Breastfeeding – A Case Based Discussion
09 How CGRP has Changed Migraine Management
10 Management of the Difficult Cluster Headache Patients
11 Preventive Concepts