Executive Director Alliance for Headache Disorders Advocacy Voorhees, New Jersey, United States
As clinicians and researchers deepen their understanding of trauma in the context of headache disorders, we must also examine the systems that produce trauma in the first place. These forces do not merely shape access to care, they generate the conditions in which trauma, chronic pain, and stigma take root.
This session explores advocacy as a trauma-informed, evidence-based intervention to address structural inequities, stigma, and barriers to care. Through the lenses of health equity, policy, and narrative power, Julienne Verdi, will demonstrate how medical professionals, researchers, and patient leaders can become agents of change working to shift the policies, practices, and narratives that sustain poor outcomes and prevent equitable care.
Learning Objectives:
Describe how structural factors contribute to trauma and increase the burden of headache disorders.
Engage in advocacy as a trauma-informed, evidence-based strategy to reduce stigma, improve access to care, and advance health equity.
Identify actionable methods for using narrative, policy engagement, and institutional influence to support systemic change in clinical, research, or policy settings.
