The story behind a simple idea: rethinking headache care as a way to improve population health globally
Published in Sustainability
This is the story behind a recent paper publishes on The Journal of Headache and Pain (Rethinking headache as a global public health case model for reaching the SDG 3 HEALTH by 2030. J Headache Pain. 2023; 24:140), but it is mostly the story of a journey on a mountain. It begun at the end of 2022 and get to its end on October 2023, when the manuscript was finally online.
The paper moves from a simple observation and gets to a simple idea. The observation is the populations’ health is defined by the way in which people experience health conditions that limit their daily lives, and the more a disease is common in the population, the higher the likelihood that it is a main cause of population disability. Headache disorders are common and disabling: so, and here comes the simple idea, if we want to improve populations’ health, we have to improve the health of people who suffer from headache disorders. A simple idea which, however, will have a complex realization: and our paper, rather than practical solutions, presents general guidelines that can be implemented in the future.
Coming back to the story behind this paper…it is not so frequent that a middle-level researcher is given the role and the responsibility to coordinate a group of high-level scientists. Actually, one of the strongest group possible in the field of headache disorders, composed of past, current and future presidents of scientific societies and journal editors. Compared to all of them, I felt like a mouse that had to climb Mount Everest. And by “not so frequent” I mean that it was the first time for me.
When I first was informed about the possibility to work on this manuscript, in which six sub-sections had to be merged in order to give a readable shape to such an enormous amount of content, I was told that I would have to care about one of the sections. It was the end of 2022: I thought it was prestigious, but manageable, and in fact it was. Someone had however to prepare an introductory section: when I received the formal invitation to join this collective effort, I discovered that this task would have been in charge to me. It was February 2023: I still thought it was prestigious, but manageable, and in fact it was. Then, someone had to collate all the material, which means finding and deleting the inevitable text duplication (some of which surely “escaped” my radar), as well as filling the inevitable gaps, fixing the style and setting the references (a task which might possibly drive anyone crazy): still me, still prestigious, manageable, although hard. And finally, someone had to write down a conclusion. “No one knows this manuscript better than me”, I thought: so, I decided to take this responsibility by myself. A that point I get back to the two senior authors that were in charge to handle the manuscript with me: they took some time for a full reading of the whole manuscript and provided some comments. But you cannot submit such a kind of manuscript without a last revision from the co-authors.
So, the mouse started climbing Mount Everest. I have to admit that it never happened to me to get such a large amount of comments: however, the topic is of high-level importance as it provides a unique opportunity, to a group or individual researchers - and not to a scientific society - to set a policy agenda on how should headache care be organized at the global level. Of course, in principle and not in practice: but the principles behind are strong and a point of balance had to be found. I expected that working with such top-level scientists would have been complex. On previous occasions, I saw people having harsh discussions because the comment they made was not retained. Nothing of this kind happened on this occasion: I saw people providing further explanations to what they wrote, explaining the importance (and the reasons behind the importance) of their opinions. I saw people proving me a true global perspective, especially on what is realistic to write down and what is not, even considering that no practical indications would be given. Clearly, difficulties existed: when you have to coordinate the work with top-level people, you have to be flexible, especially on the agenda of revisions and on the timing to publication.
It was indeed a great opportunity to challenge myself and learn the meaning of serving as group leader, and for this I would like to quote piece of Roberto Benigni’s masterpiece “Life is Beautiful”: You are serving, but you are not a servant. Serving as senior author enabled me to learn something: I learnt that there was no mouse, and no Mount Everest to climb. But, more important, that in this journey I was not alone, but in good company of 25 companions, that before being excellent scientists, are all exceptional persons.
Follow the Topic
-
The Journal of Headache and Pain
The Journal of Headache and Pain is a peer-reviewed open access journal specifically dedicated to researchers involved in all aspects of headache and related pain syndromes, including epidemiology, public health, basic science, translational medicine, clinical trials and real-world data.
What are SDG Topics?
An introduction to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Topics and their role in highlighting sustainable development research.
Continue reading announcementRelated Collections
With Collections, you can get published faster and increase your visibility.
Focus Africa
The Journal of Headache and Pain is calling for submissions to our Collection on Focus Africa. Migraine is a major cause of disability worldwide, yet research efforts and healthcare strategies remain unevenly distributed across regions. In Africa, diverse populations and healthcare landscapes present unique challenges in the recognition, diagnosis, and management of migraine and other headache disorders. This thematic collection, Focus Africa, aims to enhance understanding of these conditions by exploring epidemiological trends, healthcare disparities, cultural influences, financial constraints, gender-related factors, and the availability of treatment options across the continent.
We invite submissions of original research, systematic and narrative reviews, editorials, rapid reviews, and commentaries on topics including, but not limited to:
• The prevalence, burden, and impact of migraine and other headache disorders across African countries
• Socio-economic and cultural determinants of headache disorders in Africa
• Insights into the pathophysiology of migraine from an African perspective
• Barriers to headache care, healthcare inequalities, and policy solutions
This Collection provides a dedicated platform for African researchers and clinicians to contribute to global headache science while addressing the specific needs of the region. By fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange, Focus Africa aims to drive meaningful advancements in migraine and headache disorders research and care across the continent.
Therefore, the collection welcomes researchers from author groups all with their main affiliated institution in Africa. Cross-continental authorship groups are welcome to submit their work to The Journal of Headache and Pain outside of this collection.
Springer Nature offers article processing charges (APC) waivers and discounts for articles published in our fully open access journals whose corresponding authors are based in the world’s lowest income countries (see our APC waivers and discounts policy for further information). Requests for APC waivers and discounts from other authors will be considered on a case-by-case basis and may be granted in cases of financial need (see our open access policies for journals for more information). All applications for discretionary APC waivers and discounts should be made at the point of manuscript submission; requests made during the review process or after acceptance are unable to be considered. Should applications for financial support via the above process be unsuccessful, authors are encouraged to reach out to the journal.
Publishing Model: Open Access
Deadline: Mar 20, 2026
Pathophysiology of Pain in Neurodegenerative Diseases
Pain is a debilitating and often under-recognized symptom of neurodegenerative disorders (NDD), including but not limited to Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD). One of the interesting and clinically relevant issues is the bidirectional relationship between pain and NDD. In particular, NDD, like chronic pain, which involves not only peripheral but also central mechanisms, is often associated with neuroinflammation, central and peripheral sensitization, and neuronal degeneration. Such chronic pain may worsen the neurodegenerative process, while acute pain may be overlooked in AD and other conditions associated with cognitive decline. The underlying common and disease-specific molecular mechanisms, likely involving changes in neurotransmitters, ion channels, and glial activation, remain largely unknown. It is not entirely clear whether and how the neurodegenerative process may serve as a cause of pain, creating a vicious circle that significantly affects the quality of life of patients. Headaches, and migraine in particular, may have their own specific interactions with NDD. These unanswered questions require research that should deepen our understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms of such connections, exploring how these discoveries may inspire the development of targeted therapeutic strategies to improve patient outcomes.
The current Thematic Series “Pathophysiology of Pain in Neurodegenerative Diseases” invites original papers and review articles primarily devoted to understanding pathophysiological mechanisms linking various types of pain, including migraine, headache and other pain syndromes, with neurodegenerative disorders. This series aims to advance our understanding of these complex associations to promote future research for innovative therapeutic strategies.
This Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3, Good Health and Well-Being.
All submissions in this collection undergo the journal’s standard peer review process. Similarly, all manuscripts authored by a Guest Editor(s) will be handled by the Editor-in-Chief. As an open access publication, this journal levies an article processing fee (details here). We recognize that many key stakeholders may not have access to such resources and are committed to supporting participation in this issue wherever resources are a barrier. For more information about what support may be available, please visit OA funding and support, or email OAfundingpolicy@springernature.com or the Editor-in-Chief.
Publishing Model: Open Access
Deadline: Mar 16, 2026
Please sign in or register for FREE
If you are a registered user on Research Communities by Springer Nature, please sign in