Jan Lewis Brandes, M.D., MS, AQH, of Nashville, Tenn., will be recognized for her lifetime achievements in migraine and headache medicine at the National Headache Foundation’s (NHF) 36th Annual Gala Oct. 8 in Chicago.
“Dr. Brandes is being honored for her significant contributions in research, medical advances, practitioner collaboration, patient care, and service to her profession by earning the prestigious Special Lifetime Achievement Award in Primary Care Headache Medicine from our foundation,” said Tom Dabertin, NHF’s CEO/Executive Director.
Dabertin also saluted Brandes for her service with NHF. Brandes is Vice President of the NHF board of directors, and an expert resource for the media and professional organizations about migraine and headache issues.
Brandes holds an appointment as an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Neurology at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tenn.; and is also the Founding Director of the Nashville Neuroscience Group, a private headache clinic. Prior to attending Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, where she subsequently earned her medical degree, Brandes was named a Fulbright Scholar and attended the Robert Koch Institute of Virology, Free University, in Berlin, Germany. Her postgraduate medical training was completed at Vanderbilt University Medical Center where she served as chief resident in neurology. She also holds a Master of Science degree in microbiology from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. She is certified by the National Board of Medical Examiners, the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, and the National Board for Certification in Headache Management and has been UCNS certified in headache medicine.
Brandes has been active in clinical trials for more than two decades. She has served as the principal or co-principal investigator in more than 100 studies, primarily examining issues in migraine including acute treatment, prevention, and menstrual migraine. She has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals including JAMA, Cephalalgia, Headache, and Lancet Neurology. She is a Fellow of the American Headache Society and the American Academy of Neurology. She is a former member of the board of Directors of the American Headache Society and is the past president of the American Council for Headache Education. In recognition of her professional endeavors, she has been named to the Best Doctors in America list from 1996 through 2020.
Brandes has been a full-time clinical investigator and women’s health neurologist for more than 25 years, having just recently retired from clinical practice. Teaching and lecturing nationally and internationally on numerous women’s healthcare topics, her primary interests are headache medicine, including hormonal influences on migraine, from menarche to menopause.
Proceeds from the gala will be used to further NHF’s mission of increasing headache awareness through research support, educational activities, and serving as a resource for those with headache disorders. For tickets, sponsorships, or to donate a silent auction item, visit www.headaches.org.
