As if migraine isn’t tough enough, imagine being a person in a marginalized community who must convince their doctor that their symptoms are real? Sarah Shaw went through six doctors before finding Courtney White, MD, who not only advocates for migraine patients but is one herself.

In the first of a two-part episode, Sarah and Dr. White discuss their migraine journeys, racial disparities in treatment, respect of the patient, and using social media to educate the BIPOC and LGBTQA+ communities.

“I am a neurologist and a headache specialist. I am also someone who does have migraine disease,” says Dr. White. “And I've gone through the experience of having difficulty finding a physician that would diagnose me and then treat me appropriately.”

Among the highlights in this episode:

• 2:39: Dr. Courtney White’s background as a neurologist
• 3:19: Dr. White discusses her 8 years of having migraine disease
• 4:16: As a Black woman, Sarah discusses finding a safe place to have her migraine pain believed
• 5:23: How patients benefit from Dr. White’s Tik Tok videos
• 6:29: Sarah discusses how previous doctors haven’t treated her with respect
• 7:35: Healthcare disparities in the Queer community
• 9:32: Sarah used to be called “a problem patient”
• 10:39: “What matters is that you're in pain, and you deserve to be treated equally” — Dr. White
• 10:56: No patient caused their disease
• 11:48: “We’re doctors, but we’re also human” — Dr. White
• 13:04: What is the most pressing educational need for the migraine community?
• 14:35: Should you Google search your migraine symptoms?
• 15:25: Dr. White’s biggest reason for starting Tik Tok videos 

Contact Our Hosts

Joe Coe, Director, Education and Digital Strategy at GHLF: jcoe@ghlf.org

Sarah Shaw, BIPOC Patient Advocate, Community Outreach Manager: sshaw@ghlf.org

We want to hear what you think. Send your comments, or a video or audio clip of yourself, to talkingheadpain@ghlf.org

Catch up on our previous episodes on your favorite podcast channel or at Talking Head Pain.

To receive headache/migraine related resources, giveaways, and latest episode releases, text the word "Headache" to 1-845-285-1563 to sign up.