International Headache Society

What International Headache Society does

The International Headache Society (IHS) is a UK-registered charity (Charity Number 1042574) founded in 1981 and headquartered in London. It operates as a global, membership-based professional organization serving neurologists, headache researchers, allied healthcare professionals, and trainees committed to advancing headache science, education, and management. IHS's core assets include the Cephalalgia journal (established 1981, published 14 times per year by SAGE Publications as a Gold open-access title), the Cephalalgia Reports open-access companion, the biennial International Headache Congress (IHC), and the International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD-3, published 2018; ICHD-4 in development), which functions as the de facto global diagnostic standard for headache disorders.

IHS monetizes through five primary streams: tiered individual membership subscriptions (GBP 55–110 annually, with free associate memberships for residents of low-income countries), journal publishing via SAGE, biennial congress registration fees, delegate fees for the iHEAD Academy, and Corporate Advisory Roundtable sponsorship at platinum, gold, and silver tiers. Sponsorship from AbbVie, Lundbeck, and Pfizer (platinum) plus Ipsen, Organon, Teva (gold) and Salvia, Theranica (silver) is a material revenue source. Distribution is primarily digital through the IHS member portal, with physical congresses and 60+ national affiliate headache societies serving as community channels. The organization is governed by a Board of Trustees and operates a wholly-owned subsidiary, IHS Trading Company Ltd, to manage the IHC.

The organization's current operating model is built on professional community, scholarly publishing, and standards-setting rather than technology products. Recent strategic activity (2025–2026) has emphasized geographic expansion into Africa via the newly established African Headache Network, new digital educational content (CSF pressure course, IHC 2025 open-access videos), and extension of classification authority into orofacial pain via ICOP Version 2.

Name

International Headache Society

Legal name

International Headache Society

Website

https://ihs-headache.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The International Headache Society is a UK-registered charity founded in 1981 that serves as the world's leading membership organization for healthcare professionals in headache medicine, publishing the Cephalalgia journal, organizing the biennial International Headache Congress, and maintaining the ICHD diagnostic classification standard.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Medical Society Services

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Headache & Migraine Medicine (HLAKAIAE)

Keywords

• Headache medicine
• Clinical neurology
• Medical journal publishing
• Professional medical society
• Continuing medical education

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees from medical professionals including standard, junior/nurse/allied, upper-middle income, and adjunct/corporate members. Fees range from free (associate) to GBP 110 (standard).
2. Journal Publishing: Cephalalgia is published 14 times per year as an online Gold open-access journal. SAGE Publications is the publisher. IHS members receive direct access to the full back catalogue and print copies.
3. International Headache Congress (IHC): Biennial international congress with registration fees. IHC 2025 was held in São Paulo, Brazil. Members receive discounted registration. IHC 2027 is scheduled.
4. International Headache Academy (iHEAD): Educational programs for developing headache specialists held in various locations. Delegate fees support program delivery.
5. Corporate Sponsorship: Corporate Advisory Roundtable members including platinum (Abbvie, Lundbeck, Pfizer), gold (Ipsen, Organon, Teva), and silver (Salvia, Theranica) sponsors provide financial support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The International Headache Society (IHS) is a UK-registered charity and the world's leading membership organization dedicated to headache disorders, founded in 1981 and headquartered in London. It publishes the peer-reviewed Cephalalgia journal (in partnership with SAGE Publications) and Cephalalgia Reports, organizes the biennial International Headache Congress (IHC), runs the iHEAD Academy training program for developing headache specialists, and maintains the globally adopted ICHD classification system for headache disorders.

Product overview

The International Headache Society offers a portfolio of scholarly publications, educational programs, and professional resources for headache medicine specialists. Core offerings include the Cephalalgia journal family (Cephalalgia, Cephalalgia Reports, and access to The Neuroscientist), the bi-annual International Headache Congress (IHC), and the International Headache Academy (iHEAD) for developing specialists. Additional resources include the ICHD classification standards, comprehensive clinical guidelines, a Learning Centre with specialized courses, a Clinical Trials Dashboard, and various grants and awards programs. The Society operates as a membership organization serving healthcare professionals committed to advancing headache science, education, and management worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cephalalgia: Official journal of the International Headache Society, published 14 times per year, containing original papers on all aspects of headache
• International Headache Congress (IHC)
• International Headache Academy (iHEAD)
• International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD)

Products and services

• Cephalalgia Journal The official peer-reviewed journal of the International Headache Society, published in partnership with SAGE Publications, disseminating original research, reviews, and clinical content on headache disorders to clinicians and researchers worldwide.
• Cephalalgia Reports An open-access companion journal to Cephalalgia, publishing case reports and clinical research on headache disorders for healthcare professionals and researchers.
• International Headache Congress (IHC) The flagship biennial international scientific congress of the IHS, convening headache researchers, neurologists, and clinicians from around the world for presentations, networking, and knowledge exchange.
• iHEAD Academy A training program designed to develop the next generation of headache specialists, offering structured clinical and research education to physicians and allied health professionals from countries with limited specialist training opportunities.
• ICHD-3 Classification The International Classification of Headache Disorders, 3rd edition — the globally adopted diagnostic classification system for headache disorders, used in clinical practice and research worldwide and maintained by the IHS Classification Committee.
• IHS Clinical Practice Guidelines Evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of headache disorders, developed by IHS expert committees to support clinicians in delivering standardized care.
• IHS Membership Society membership for healthcare professionals and researchers with an interest in headache disorders, providing access to journal content, congress registration benefits, and a global community of 1,000+ headache specialists across 45+ countries.

Quantifiable outcome

• 107 delegates from 45 countries attended iHEAD 2025
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• SAGE Publications LtdcoreTechnology or IntegrationOfficial publisher of Cephalalgia journal and Cephalalgia Reports. Provides online platform hosting, distribution, and publishing services.
• American Headache SocietyflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliate member society. Collaborates on joint symposiums (IHS-IASP Joint Symposium) and offers combined membership options. Promotes exchange of information and ideas on headache causes and treatments.
• European Headache FederationflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliate member society. Unites national member societies, cooperates with European Academy of Neurology and WHO Global Campaign Against Headache. Co-organizes International Forum for Headache Nurses biennial meetings.
• International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner with over 7,000 members in 125 countries. IHS-IASP Joint Symposium held at congresses. IASP World Congress on Pain held biennially (Bangkok 2026).
• World Health Organization - Lifting the BurdenflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerLifting the Burden operates in Official Relations with WHO as the Global Campaign Against Headache. IHS collaborates on bringing better healthcare to people with headache worldwide.
• African Headache Network (AHEAD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEstablished September 2025 in Accra, Ghana. Affiliate member organization working towards equity in headache care across Africa. Represents healthcare professionals throughout the African continent.
• American Academy of NeurologycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRepresents more than 36,000 members. Publishes Neurology journal. IHS links to related organizations in neurology field.
• European Academy of NeurologycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRepresents more than 45,000 members and 47 European national societies. Holds annual congress (Geneva 2026). IHS promotes EAN events.
• International Forum for Headache NursesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded 2012 at EHMTIC in London. Biennial meetings linked to EHF and IHS congresses. Promotes nursing involvement in headache research and clinical practice.
• 60+ National Headache SocietiesflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliate member societies from Argentina, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Estonia, Ethiopia, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, Moldova, Myanmar, Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, UK, and USA.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• International Association for the Study of Pain: Global professional society for pain (7,000+ members, 125 countries) with biennial congress, journals, and Special Interest Groups. IHS-IASP Joint Symposia show direct overlap in audience and operating model.
• American Academy of Neurology: Large US-based neurology professional society (36,000+ members) with a similar membership, journal (Neurology), and annual congress model. IHS explicitly partners with AAN and shares the same headache/clinical-trial ecosystem.
• International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society: International specialty society for movement disorders running journals, regional sections, and educational programs. A structurally comparable specialty society competing for the same pharma sponsorship pool.
• World Heart Federation: Geneva-based global cardiovascular society that, like IHS, operates as a charity, convenes world congresses, and partners with WHO on global burden-of-disease campaigns. Closely comparable nonprofit governance and global advocacy model.
• European Academy of Neurology: European neurology umbrella (47 national societies, 45,000+ members) with annual congress and guideline-development activities. IHS lists EAN as a core partner and the two compete for European headache specialists' attention.
• International League Against Epilepsy: Global specialty society for epilepsy with similar structure: classification standards, regional chapters, journals, and educational programmes. Comparable model for monetizing a narrow neurology sub-specialty internationally.

Regional players

• American Headache Society: US-focused headache professional society and IHS affiliate, with its own journal (Headache), annual meeting, and CME programs. Comparable offering but geographically US-centric and reliant on IHS for international standards.
• European Headache Federation: Federation of European national headache societies, co-organizer of EHMTIC and partner on the International Forum for Headache Nurses. Regional counterpart that complements IHS's global remit.

Broad incumbents

• American Heart Association: Large US nonprofit medical society operating journals, guidelines, congresses, and global programs. A scaled-up analog of IHS's operating model in a much larger specialty, useful as a benchmark for mature society monetization.
• Society for Neuroscience: Large US-headquartered neuroscience society with annual meeting, journals (JNeurosci), and broad membership. A broader incumbent whose educational and congress infrastructure competes for the same research and clinician audience.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ihs_official
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC_7e4MOHTiBk24eMh2wsH3A
• Facebookfacebook.com/IHSheadache
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/international-headache-society
• Instagraminstagram.com/ihsheadache/?hl=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about International Headache Society