Member Spotlight: Shivang Joshi, MD, MPH, RPh

Dr. Shivang Joshi, Associate Professor of Clinical Pharmacy Practice at the University of Buffalo School of Pharmacy and Neurologist/Headache Specialist at the DENT Neurological Institute, is committed to educating the future leaders of headache medicine. “As an educator, I take responsibility for training the next generation of headache specialists and neurologists,” says Dr. Joshi.

Currently, headache education is not standard to the core medical student curriculum. As a result, patients with headache disorders can fall through the cracks. “We’re doing a disservice to the patient community by not properly training health care providers about migraine and headache disorders,” he says. “An interdisciplinary approach to headache education would provide medical students, pharmacy students, nursing students and others in health care with a comprehensive understanding of these disorders.”

Dr. Joshi’s first introduction to headache medicine took place during his residency at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York. “I saw that patients with migraine were in pain and suffering from a neurological disorder that wasn’t getting enough attention, and I wanted to help,” he explains. During that time, Dr. Joshi also had the opportunity to study as a mentee of fellow AHS members Lawrence C. Newman, MD, FAHS, and Richard B. Lipton, MD, FAHS.

Dr. Joshi’s career path became clear after attending a Scottsdale Headache Symposium. There, he learned more about the science behind headache disorders and interacted with leaders in the field. “Everything came together for me,” he says. Eager to learn more, he joined the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, John R. Graham Headache Center in Boston for a Fellowship in Headache Medicine.

To inspire collaboration among headache specialists in the Midwest and address an unmet need of regional headache education, Dr. Joshi recently cofounded the Great Lakes Regional Headache Society. The society recently held its inaugural event, The Headache Update Symposium 2018, in Cleveland, Ohio. “Our goal is to bring people together to create an atmosphere for education and collaboration, and the symposium’s success is encouraging,” Dr. Joshi says.

A member of AHS since 2010, Dr. Joshi has worked diligently to create educational opportunities for young trainees, practitioners and clinical investigators. As a member of the New Investigators and Trainees Special Interest Section, he developed a speed-mentoring program to connect aspiring neurologists, headache specialists and research scientists with leaders in the field.

“My motto is, ‘I’m always going to be a mentee, and strive to be a mentor,’” he explains.

Dr. Joshi also serves as the founder and chair of the Trigeminal Autonomic Cephalalgias Special Interest Section and recently coauthored several articles that investigate cluster headache. His section pre-course was just selected for presentation at the 2018 Scottsdale Headache Symposium. Among his most recent publications are “The comorbidity burden of patients with cluster headache: A population-based study” and “Clinical Characteristics and Treatment Patterns Among Patients Diagnosed With Cluster Headache in U.S. Healthcare Claims Data.”

For his impactful work in cluster headache research, Dr. Joshi was awarded the Society’s “Frontiers in Headache Research” Scholarship Award.

On behalf of the American Headache Society, we would like to extend our gratitude to Dr. Joshi for his membership and many contributions to the Society, the next generation of headache specialists and the patient community.

“To truly see that I can impact a patient’s life by taking what I’ve learned from my mentors and applying it has been the most rewarding aspect of my career,” Dr. Joshi says.

About Shivang Joshi

Name: Shivang Joshi, MD, MPH, RPh

AHS Membership: Member since 2010

Primary: Chair of the Trigeminal Autonomic Cephalalgias Special Interest Section; Member of New Investigators and Trainees Special Interest Section; Associate Professor of Clinical Pharmacy Practice at the University of Buffalo School of Pharmacy; Neurologist/Headache Specialist at the DENT Neurological Institute

Quote: “My exposure to patients, the headache community and mentors has validated my career choices and confirmed my purpose. To truly see that I can impact a patient’s life by taking what I’ve learned from my mentors and applying it has been the most rewarding aspect of my career.”

Each month, our Society showcases the accomplishments of one member. Please invest a few minutes to suggest a fellow AHS member to be featured within a future spotlight article viathis form.