About MHAM
CHAMP, the Coalition for Headache and Migraine Patients, is comprised of organizations sending a unified message about headache and migraine diseases. Every June we dedicate the month to spreading awareness and education through various campaigns and initiatives, observed throughout the United States.
This year's theme is Educate Yourself, Educate Others.
History of MHAM
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Fall 1989
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March 11-17, 1990
March 11-17, 1990
Governor James R. Thompson of Illinois declared it Headache Week in Illinois.
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June 3-9, 1990
June 3-9, 1990
Congressman Frank Annunzio of Illinois introduced legislation to the House of Representatives to establish it as National Headache Week. This week coincided with the 20th anniversary of the National Headache Foundation, which at that time was called the National Migraine Foundation.
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June 7-13, 1993
June 7 - 13, 1993
NHF named actor, Maureen Garrett, as its honorary chairperson. Ms. Garrett portrayed a migraine sufferer on the daytime serial, Guiding Light.
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1998
1998
NHF’s Executive Director at the time, Suzanne Simons, stood in front of the Today Show studio at 30 Rockefeller Center in New York, holding a sign declaring that week as National Headache Awareness Week.
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June 7-13, 1998
June 7 - 13, 1998
A panel of leading headache specialists convened in New York City to identify specific steps that migraine patients could take to better communicate with their health care providers in order to obtain successful treatment. The results of this summit were released as part of the observance of the National Headache Awareness Week.
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June 7-13, 1998
June 7 -13, 1998
The first themed week occurred, and focused “Making Headway in Headache Relief.”
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June 4-10, 2000
June 4 to 10, 2000
The theme for the week was “Reduce Migraine Impact” to emphasize the importance of patients being proactive in seeking migraine treatment.
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2004
2004
Purple was chosen as the color for an awareness campaign, which spurred patient education.
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2011
2011
Awareness Week became Awareness Month with the theme of “It’s More Than Just a Headache.”
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2012
2012
Purple became the official color of MHAM. The National Headache Foundation and Teri Robert began the #MHAM Blogging Challenge, which created daily prompts for bloggers to jumpstart an article related to the day's topic and theme.
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2013
2013
The observance month was renamed “National Migraine and Headache Awareness Month,” to encompass all headache disorders. The theme for the year was “Unmasking the Mystery of Chronic Headache.”
Chronic Migraine Awareness, Inc began a Fact-A-Day campaign.
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2016
2016
CMA, Inc. added a social media campaign to challenge participants to take action with advocacy and education.
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2017
2017
Declarations about recognizing the impact of headache and migraine were received from local governments as well as state offices. In Chicago, many skyscrapers took on purple hues during June.
CMA, Inc. succeeded in gaining national recognition for National Migraine and Headache Awareness Month.
Alliance for Migraine Disorders launched Shades for Migraine campaign
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2018
2018
The U.S. Federal Government officially recognized National Migraine & Headache Awareness Month as a National Health Observance in June 2018. This recognition effort was led by Patient Advocate, Jeannette Rotondi and Chronic Migraine Awareness, Inc. -
2019
2019
The MHAM committee of CHAMP collaborated to create an updated logo that will be used for years to come. Each year it will be updated to include the theme chosen by the National Headache Foundation.