January Member Spotlight: Rashmi B. Halker Singh, MD, FAHS

January Member Spotlight: Rashmi B. Halker Singh, MD, FAHS

Rashmi Halker Singh shares her personal connection to migraine and her passion for advocacy

This January, we are putting the spotlight on Rashmi B. Halker Singh, MD, FAHS, a member of the American Headache Society who is truly doing everything she can to make it easier for those living with migraine to thrive. She is a neurologist and Assistant Professor at Mayo Clinic Arizona and, as a migraine patient herself, Dr. Halker Singh, knows firsthand the importance of advancing the field of headache medicine.

Dr. Halker Singh is inspired each day by the patient population and views bonding with patients as the most valuable aspect of practicing headache medicine. “There are so many people who look just like you and me, but they’re living with this disabling disease and need help.”

She also highlighted that patients don’t always speak openly about their neurologic disease, due to the stigma associated with migraine.

“People don’t like to share that they have it, or they don’t really know what to do about it,” she said. “I think it’s great to be able to dispel those myths and help patients, and to show them that there are treatments available. This is a true neurologic disease.”

Her experience as a patient herself sheds additional light on the reality that migraine is a disease that has a huge burden on society and individual patients’ lives. In fact, her daughter also lives with migraine—which is why she wants to continue to inspire more doctors to enter the field. “We know that migraine and other headache disorders are so widespread, but there’s very few of us who have expertise in treating headache disorders, especially migraine,” she says. “It’s so meaningful when you can make a difference.”

Dr. Halker Singh has a long history of making a difference; she has participated in many advocacy efforts for different diseases such as Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis and migraine. She also worked with a team to bring Miles for Migraine to Phoenix, where the nonprofit now hosts regular events to raise money for migraine and headache disorders fellowships and research.

She has also championed career development opportunities for women at the American Headache Society, spearheading the implementation of a women’s leadership development program at the Annual Scientific Meeting. These seminars included discussions about mentorship, sponsorship and negotiation skills, and featured a panel with women who’ve followed different career paths in headache medicine. In discussing the significance and value of the program, Dr. Halker Singh says, “I think, especially in this current era where there’s a lot of physician burnout, we can’t afford to lose any headache specialists.”

Dr. Halker Singh holds membership in four committees, including the Scottsdale Program Committee and the Electronic Media Committee. Furthermore, she chairs the Women’s Issues Special Interest Section, while also a member of the Procedural Headache Medicine Special Interest Section and New Investigators and the Trainees Special Interest Section. Dr. Halker Singh is a member of AHS’s 2016 Emerging Leaders class and was the recipient of the 2018 Above and Beyond Award.

On behalf of the American Headache Society, we would like to thank Dr. Halker Singh for her membership and dedication to the migraine community.

About Rashmi Halker Singh

Name: Rashmi B. Halker Singh, MD, FAHS

AHS Membership: Member since 2009

Primary: Headache Neurologist and Assistant Professor at Mayo Clinic at Arizona; Chair of Women’s Issues Special Interest Section. Member of Procedural Headache Medicine Special Interest Section; Member of New Investigators and Trainees Special Interest Section; Member of Scottsdale Program Committee; Member of Emerging Leaders Selection Committee; Member of Membership Committee; Member of Electronic Media Committee

Quote: “When we improve our understanding of migraine, we come up with better treatments.”

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