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

  • Fall 1989

    Fall 1989

    National Headache Week was initiated by the National Headache Foundation (NHF).

  • March 11-17, 1990

    March 11-17, 1990

    Governor James R. Thompson of Illinois declared it Headache Week in Illinois.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • June 7-13, 1998

    June 7 -13, 1998

    The first themed week occurred, and focused “Making Headway in Headache Relief.”

  • 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.

  • 2004

    2004

    Purple was chosen as the color for an awareness campaign, which spurred patient education.

  • 2011

    2011

    Awareness Week became Awareness Month with the theme of “It’s More Than Just a Headache.”

  • 2012

    2012

    MHAM RibbonPurple 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.

  • 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.

  • 2016

    2016

    CMA, Inc. added a social media campaign to challenge participants to take action with advocacy and education.

  • 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

  • 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.