Abstract
Promoting headache science across cultures – a global mission of the International Headache Society
It was during medical school when I developed a profound interest in the pathophysiological mechanisms of primary headache disorders. I therefore sought a career as a clinician scientist that would allow me to combine research with the clinical management of complex headache patients.
After obtaining my doctoral degree at the Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin (Germany), I moved to the United States where I worked several years with Professor Peter Goadsby at the University of California, San Francisco. A few years after my return to Germany, I joined Professor May at the University Medical Center in Hamburg-Eppendorf before relocating to London in 2018. During these years, I had the privilege to work with two mentors who not only taught me the pathophysiological and clinical complexities of headache disorders, but most importantly influenced deeply my scientific and clinical thinking.
At King’s College London, I lead a translational research group at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience that focuses on the molecular mechanisms and central processing of headache and facial pain syndromes. At the same time, I work as a Consultant Neurologist at King’s College Hospital conducting highly specialised headache and facial pain clinics.
I was honoured to recently join the IHS Board of Trustees. Since 2016 I have been serving as an Associate Editor for Cephalalgia. Beyond that, I serve as a Council Member and Treasurer of the British Association for the Study of Headache.
With my German and Spanish roots, having grown up in Europe and several countries in North and South America, working in Germany, the United States, and now in the UK, and speaking three languages fluently, I truly am a global citizen. My personal history allowed me to gain a profound understanding of different cultural backgrounds and to move within and across these with ease. From a professional perspective, this background gave me the chance to develop extensive knowledge and experience in the educational and healthcare systems of these countries.
As a member of the Board of Trustees, I strive to support the worldwide efforts of the IHS in promoting basic and clinical research as well as education on clinical management of headache disorders. Given my own personal background, I feel a responsibility to expand these activities in particular to those countries that have been less privileged and support young researchers and clinicians in developing an international career in the field of headache disorders.
Declaration of conflicting interests
J. Hoffmann is consulting for and/or serves on advisory boards of Allergan, Autonomic Technologies Inc., Cannovex BV, Chordate Medical AB, Eli Lilly, Hormosan Pharma, Lundbeck, Novartis, Sanofi and Teva. He has received honoraria for speaking from Allergan, Autonomic Technologies Inc., Chordate Medical AB, Novartis and Teva. He received personal fees for Medico-Legal Work as well as from Sage Publishing, Springer Healthcare and Quintessence Publishing. He receives research support from Bristol-Myers-Squibb. All these activities are unrelated to this manuscript.