Messoud Ashina, MD, PhD, DMSci, is a Professor of Neurology at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, and the Past President of the International Headache Society. He is also a Senior Consultant in Neurology at the Danish Headache Center, Rigshospitalet, Denmark, Rigshospitalet, Denmark, and the Director of the Danish Knowledge Center on Headache Disorders.

Prof. Ashina has authored more than 400 peer-reviewed publications. His academic works focus on the disease mechanisms underlying migraine and other headache disorders. Prof. Ashina’s lab has played a key role in the development and refinement of human provocation models that can be used to map signaling pathways underlying migraine pathogenesis and to identify novel drug targets. In these provocation models, signaling molecules or other hypothesized ‘trigger’ agents are used to induce migraine attacks in people with migraine, whereas healthy volunteers most often develop no more than a mild headache. His lab has also combined the use of provocation models with functional neuroimaging to better study the involvement of cranial vasculature and trigeminal pain pathways in migraine pathogenesis.

Prof. Ashina is on the editorial board of Brain, Cephalalgia, and The Journal of Headache and Pain. He has previously been on the Board of Directors of the European Headache Federation and served as President of the Danish Headache Society.