Overview
The Headache Medicine fellowship at Banner University Medical Center Phoenix is based at Arizona’s largest tertiary academic medical center and embedded in the Banner Health referral network, the largest in the state. Fellows care for a broad spectrum of primary and secondary headache and facial pain disorders, learn contemporary interventional and behavioral treatments, and graduate with the clinical judgment, procedural skill, and scholarly habits to practice—and teach—evidence‑based, root-cause-oriented headache medicine. As a new program, fellows will also help shape its culture and curriculum.
“I really appreciate how thorough you are and how much you care about finding the root cause rather than just treating symptoms.” - Tamara Griffiths (used with permission; individual experiences vary).
Quick Facts (At‑a‑Glance)
- Eligibility (at a glance): ACGME-accredited U.S. residency completed by the fellowship start date; applicants from any residency background welcome; demonstrated commitment to headache medicine expected. Details
- Length: 1 year (13 four‑week blocks).
- Positions: 2.
- Compensation: salaried junior-faculty–scale appointment (non–J-1); J-1 fellows receive the standard GME stipend. Full benefits. Details
- Sites: BUMCP (adult), affiliated subspecialty clinics (Phoenix/Mesa).
- Call: None.
- Outcomes: Graduates are prepared to design and lead team‑based headache care and to sit for the UCNS Headache Medicine exam.
Why Train Here
- High complexity. Tertiary academic center with statewide referrals for complex primary and secondary headache disorders.
- Clinical reasoning first. Fellows learn to identify drivers - medication overuse, sleep/circadian disruption, MSK/TMJ, weight/metabolic, mood, trauma — so plans target causes as well as symptoms.
- Team‑based care across specialties. Obesity medicine, orofacial pain dentistry, neurosurgery, neuroradiology, psychiatry, psychology, sleep medicine, sports medicine, physical therapy, and other services as indicated.
- Procedural training. Peripheral nerve and trigger‑point injections; onabotulinumtoxinA for chronic migraine; infusion protocols; external neuromodulation.
- Structured and real‑time teaching. Case conferences, journal club, and day‑to‑day precepting.
- Scholarly opportunities. Protected time is available during Headache Medicine clinic blocks to answer the interesting questions that invariably arise.
“Everyone will learn here, including the program director. Fellows will rotate with sleep medicine, behavioral health, obesity medicine, and dentistry, then we’ll debrief and integrate those insights into care plans.”
- Joshua Tobin MD, program director