NEW YORK, Feb. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Migraine World Summit, the largest event of its kind founded by patients for patients, is kicking-off its annual 8-day virtual summit with a first-ever live simulcast event. Presented by World Health Education Foundation, Migraine World Summit Live will be held at UCLA on March 19, 2019 from 4:00-8:00pm in front of a live audience of over 500 people with migraine, where award-winning performer Kristin Chenoweth will reveal details of her almost career-ending personal struggle with migraine. Chenoweth will be joined by world-leading migraine experts from UCLA, University of Vermont and Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
"Migraine attacks have haunted my life for decades. It doesn't care if I am performing on stage, spending time with my family, or relaxing at home. They strike at any moment," said Kristin Chenoweth. "I understand how this disease can leave you frustrated and defeated. That's why I have partnered with Migraine World Summit to ignite a movement to end the stigma around migraine," Chenoweth added. "We need to spark a new national conversation about the burden of this condition. Only when I found truly expert healthcare insights was I able to take control of my migraine. Everyone deserves this chance, and through Migraine World Summit I hope to empower people around the world to do the same."
Migraine is underrecognized and undertreated, yet worldwide, there are over 1 billion people with this disease. It is the leading cause of disability and the least publicly funded among all neurological diseases in relation to its economic impact1,2. Worldwide, just four hours are committed to headache disorders in formal undergraduate medical training, and 10 hours in specialist training3, which results in most patients seeing doctors who lack the expertise to treat it effectively.
The 2019 Summit will include 32 experts from leading hospitals, universities, headache clinics and institutions from all over the world. The topics will span new treatments, patient case studies, alternative therapies, testing, and lifestyle tips among others.
To get complimentary tickets to Migraine World Summit Live at UCLA on March 19, go to http://bit.ly/MWSLive. To register for the virtual Migraine World Summit, go to http://bit.ly/MWS-PR. Registration is free but required for both events.
Following the live event, the virtual Migraine World Summit will take place online from March 20-28. It will be free during that week, and available to order thereafter. Proceeds from the Summit help benefit migraine research and awareness through organizations like American Migraine Foundation, Headache Australia and National Headache Foundation.
About Kristin Chenoweth
Emmy award and Tony Award winning actress and singer Kristin Chenoweth's career spans film, television, voiceover and stage. In 2015, Chenoweth received a coveted star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2009, she received an Emmy award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role in "Pushing Daisies." In 1999, she won a Tony Award for "You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown" and she was also nominated for her original role of Glinda the Good Witch in "Wicked" in 2004. Her TV appearances include a recurring role on NBC's "The West Wing" and Emmy-nominated roles on PBS's "Sesame Street" and NBC's "Glee." She penned a biography in 2009, "A Little Bit Wicked."
About Migraine World Summit
Founded in 2016, Migraine World Summit's mission is to reduce the global burden of migraine through education and fundraising. Producers and hosts Carl Cincinnato and Paula K. Dumas are Chronic Migraine warriors themselves. Each year, they interview dozens of leading migraine experts, doctors and specialists to help answer the most difficult questions for people with migraine in desperate need of relief. One billion people live with migraine globally1. It is more common than diabetes, epilepsy and asthma combined4, yet less than half of those with migraine consult a physician for it5. By giving unprecedented access to the world's migraine experts, the Summit offers people with migraine trustworthy insights to discuss with their health care provider.
The inaugural Migraine World Summit Live event was started in 2019 to spark a national conversation about migraine, empowering patients to share their struggle with the disease. Migraine World Summit Live is a production of World Health Education Foundation and has been made possible by the generosity of its sponsors: Amgen, Novartis, Teva, Allergan and Lilly. Admission to the event is free with registration, and will be simulcast worldwide on March 19, 2019.
1 Steiner TJ et al. Migraine: the seventh disabler. The Journal of Headache and Pain 2013, 14:1.
2 Shapiro RE and Goadsby PJ. The long drought: the dearth of public funding for headache research. Cephalalgia. 2007;27(9):991-4.
3 World Health Organization. Atlas of headache disorders and resources in the world 2011.
4 Steiner TJ et al. The prevalence and disability burden of adult migraine in England and their relationships to age, gender and ethnicity. Cephalalgia. 2003;23(7):519-527.
5 Pavone E et al. Patterns of triptans use: a study based on the records of a community pharmaceutical department. Cephalalgia. 2007;27(9):1000-4.
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SOURCE Migraine World Summit
