The first Regional Outreach ProgrammE of the International Headache Society (ROPE-IHS) meeting, ‘Headache, head pain syndromes, migraine and related disorders’, took place in Blantyre, Malawi in November 2022 – an initiative between IHS and the DREAM (Disease Relief through Excellent and Advanced Means) programme. The event was part of the national plan of the Government of Malawi on ‘Education on non-communicable diseases (NCD) in primary care’ and in line with the World Health Organization goal as outlined in its ‘Intersectoral Global Action Plan on Epilepsy and Other Neurological Disorders 2022–2031 (IGAP)’.

Thirty-four clinical officers from different Malawi areas of both DREAM and Malawi Government health centres joined the course. The IHS teachers were neurologists from Italy, UK, Tukey and Africa who presented in a very interactive way to better tailor the take-home messages to the clinicians who work daily in primary care settings.

The initiative has now been published as part of the article ‘Globally advancing neurological education in headache’ in the September 2024 issue of the Lancet Neurology, authored by Daniele Martinelli and Cristina Tassorelli who led the initiative for IHS.

The publication in Lancet Neurology highlights the IHS mission to educate HCPs globally.