Member Spotlight: Kathleen B. Digre, MD, FAHS

New AHS President Kathleen Digre shares her experience and advocacy with the organization

On June 1, 2018, the American Headache Society welcomed new president Kathleen Digre, MD, FAHS, to its ranks. Dr. Digre is Professor of Neurology and Ophthalmology at the John A. Moran Eye Center, Chief of the Division of Headache and Neuro-ophthalmology, as well as Adjunct Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Adjunct Professor of Anesthesia at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.

As she commences her tenure as board president, the American Headache Society and its members would like to recognize Dr. Digre for her outstanding reputation within both the organization and the neurology community as a whole. Dr. Digre was recently appointed to the rank of Distinguished Professor at the University of Utah for her achievements that “exemplify the highest goals of scholarship.” And in April, she was awarded Honorary Doctor of the University of Zurich for her outstanding contributions in the field of neurological vision disorders, her contributions to ophthalmology, neurology, gynecology, and anesthesiology, and her work to promote gender equality in academia.

A member of AHS since 1987, Dr. Digre is a tireless advocate for patients with headache disorders, a champion for women’s health issues and women in science and medicine. Over the years, her clinical research has focused on disorders in women such as idiopathic intracranial hypertension, migraine, headache in pregnancy as well as disorders of vision during migraine including photophobia, eye pain, visual quality of life in migraine, and its contributors. Dr. Digre is the founder of the University of Utah Headache Clinic and currently directs the Center of Excellence in Women’s Health.   

“In my practice every day, I’m stimulated by seeing patients and trying to explicate the symptoms and try to understand what the scientific underpinning of visual complaints that come with migraine,” says Dr. Digre. “The main thing is to find treatments for people that don’t hurt them and actually make them better.”

The American Headache Society would like to congratulate Kathleen Digre, MD, FAHS, on her impact in the field of headache medicine. As we work together as a society to improve headache medicine, the future continues to get brighter for migraine patients.

“I’m in headache medicine because I want to make people better,” says Dr. Digre.

Each month, the American Headache Society showcases the accomplishments of one member. If you would like to appoint a fellow AHS member to be featured on our member spotlight, please complete this form.