American Headache Society

What American Headache Society does

The American Headache Society (AHS) is a 60-plus-year-old professional medical society founded in 1962 and headquartered at 19 Mantua Road, Mount Royal, New Jersey, dedicated to the study and treatment of headache and face pain. The society serves more than 2,300 members drawn from a broad range of healthcare professionals — physicians (MD/DO), advanced practice providers (~13% of membership), nurses, psychologists, dentists, physical therapists, pharmacists, basic scientists, and medical trainees — as well as health-related industry professionals. Its core technology and content assets are the peer-reviewed journal Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain (10 printed issues per year plus full online access, published in partnership with Wiley), the Education On Demand virtual learning platform that delivers exclusive recorded content, live Q&A, and CME transcripts, and an extensive Headache Medicine Research Library.

AHS operates as a nonprofit professional society with a community-led go-to-market model: members are recruited and retained through educational programs (Resident Education Program, Emerging Leaders, Leadership Academy, LEAD, First Contact for primary care), 20+ Special Interest Groups (SIGs), networking, and mentorship. Revenue is generated across five primary streams: recurring membership dues (Active $175 first year / $325 renewal, Trainee $25, Industry $325), event registration fees for the Annual Scientific Meeting and Scottsdale Headache Symposium ($150-$1,050 depending on member status and timing), pharmaceutical and medical-device exhibits and sponsorships, tax-deductible donations (Tax ID 43-6058456), and Shop AHS merchandise (15% of proceeds supporting programs). Distribution is multi-channel, including the website (americanheadachesociety.org), the member portal at welcome.ahsnet.org, the YouTube channel, LinkedIn, email ([email protected]), and partnerships with the International Headache Society and "For the Love of Ryan." The society is ACCME-accredited to issue CME credits, with the 68th Annual Scientific Meeting offering up to 22.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits and Scottsdale Headache Symposium offering 21.00, plus ABPN self-assessment and AAFP elective credit designations.

Name

American Headache Society

Legal name

American Headache Society

Website

https://americanheadachesociety.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1962

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The American Headache Society is a 60-plus-year-old professional medical society serving 2,300+ headache medicine practitioners through the peer-reviewed Headache journal (10 issues/year), the Annual Scientific Meeting, the Scottsdale Headache Symposium, ACCME-accredited CME via Education On Demand, and 20+ Special Interest Groups.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Medical Society & Continuing Medical Education

NAICS

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (54)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Headache & Migraine Medicine (HLAKAIAE)

Keywords

• Headache medicine
• Professional medical society
• Continuing medical education
• Neurology conferences
• Migraine research

Headquarters

HQ city

Mount Royal

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees from Active ($175 first year, $325 renewal), Trainee ($25), and Industry ($325) members providing access to journal, education, networking, and member benefits
2. Event Registration: Revenue from Annual Scientific Meeting and Scottsdale Headache Symposium registration fees ranging from $150-$1,050 depending on membership status, category, and timing
3. Donations: Tax-deductible donations supporting scholarships, leadership development, and advocacy programs. Tax ID: 43-6058456
4. Exhibits and Sponsorship: Revenue from pharmaceutical and medical device companies sponsoring and exhibiting at Annual Scientific Meeting and Scottsdale Headache Symposium
5. Merchandise Sales: AHS branded merchandise through Shop AHS (15% of proceeds supporting research, advocacy, and education initiatives)

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The American Headache Society (AHS) is a nonprofit professional medical society offering membership, continuing medical education (CME), peer-reviewed journal publication, and signature annual conferences for clinicians and researchers in headache medicine. Core paid offerings include tiered individual memberships (Active, Trainee, Industry), the Education On Demand virtual CME platform, the Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain, and two flagship in-person conferences — the Annual Scientific Meeting and the Scottsdale Headache Symposium — supplemented by specialized training programs for residents, emerging leaders, primary care providers, and advanced practice providers.

Product overview

The American Headache Society (AHS) is a professional medical society dedicated to improving the lives of people impacted by migraine and other headache disorders. AHS operates as a multi-product organization offering educational programs, publications, events, and career development resources. The core offerings include Education On Demand (a virtual learning platform for CME and headache medicine education), Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain (the official peer-reviewed journal with 10 printed issues annually), major annual events (the 68th Annual Scientific Meeting and Scottsdale Headache Symposium), and structured training programs (Resident Education Program, Emerging Leaders Program, Leadership Academy, and various specialty education programs like First Contact, REACH, Mastering Migraine Therapies, and International Headache Academy). The Society also provides research grants, fellowship opportunities, and maintains special interest groups including the Advanced Practice Providers SIG. Membership benefits include access to the journal, educational programs, networking, mentorship, and career development opportunities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 480 residents have participated in the Resident Education Program since 2017
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• For the Love of RyancoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Partnership providing ten resident scholarships to support attendance at the 2026 Scottsdale Headache Symposium. Recipients must demonstrate strong interest in headache medicine and experience working with mental health disorders. Partnership supports early-career professionals entering headache medicine field.
• International Headache Society (IHS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDiscounted online membership to IHS available to AHS members, including subscription to Cephalalgia journal, reduced submission fees for Cephalalgia Reports, access to IHS online education center, and reduced conference registration fees
• Arata ExpositionsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerGeneral services contractor and show decorator for the Scottsdale Headache Symposium
• Orlando World Center MarriottminorOthersVenue for the 68th Annual Scientific Meeting, June 4-7, 2026. AHS offers special group rate ($249 single/double occupancy plus resort fee and taxes) for attendees
• Westin Kierland Resort & SpaminorOthersVenue for the 2026 Scottsdale Headache Symposium, December 3-6, 2026 in Scottsdale, AZ. Group room rate: $299 (single/double) + $20 Resort Service Charge plus taxes

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• American Neurological Association: Established academic neurology society with broader research focus and Annals of Neurology. Competes for academic neurologist dues and sponsorships that AHS also targets in the headache subspecialty.
• American Academy of Neurology: Largest U.S. neurology professional society with 40,000+ members. Overlaps with AHS on headache-related CME, advocacy, and journal publishing, but serves all neurology subspecialties rather than specializing in headache medicine.
• American Pain Society: Multidisciplinary pain medicine society. Comparable in CME, journal, and member structure to AHS, but broader in scope and historically overlapping on headache/pain research content.

Regional players

• European Headache Federation: European professional headache society organizing headache congresses and education across EMEA. Competes with AHS for international headache specialist mindshare and sponsorship in non-U.S. markets.
• Child Neurology Society: U.S. professional society for child neurologists. Shares audience with AHS's Pediatric-Adolescent Headache SIG and competes for pediatric headache-related members and CME dollars.

Direct peers

• International Headache Society: Global professional society for headache researchers and clinicians, publishing Cephalalgia. Direct peer to AHS with formal cross-membership partnership; competes for international members and sponsors while complementing AHS on global education.
• International Association for the Study of Pain: Global professional society for pain research and practice, publishing PAIN. Direct overlap with AHS on facial pain and headache research, members, and sponsorships in pain medicine.
• National Headache Foundation: U.S. nonprofit focused on headache and migraine education and patient advocacy. Comparable to AHS in mission space, but AHS is clinician/researcher-centric while NHF is patient- and public-facing.

Others

• Migraine Research Foundation: U.S. nonprofit funding migraine scientific research grants. Adjacent to AHS's research grant programs; competes for philanthropic dollars directed at headache research.

Emerging players

• Headache Cooperative of New England: Regional headache provider network focused on clinical care and CME in the U.S. Comparable audience to AHS but narrower regional footprint and more clinical-practice oriented.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCzTs7oD5eFuN6C3e-k5kXig
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/americanheadachesociety

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about American Headache Society