IHS was pleased to hold the first Regional Outreach Programme of IHS (ROPE-IHS) in Malawi on 25-26 November to facilitate education on headache disorders, and foster dissemination and uptake of headache science and medicine for the benefit of patients in sub-Saharan Africa. Malawi was identified as the optimal country for running the first edition of the programme.

Held in collaboration with the DREAM (Disease Relief through Excellent and Advanced Means) programme, 40 clinical officers were invited to attend a 2-day meeting in Blantyre, Malawi, for a varied programme with the aim to ease capacity and promote sustainable and community lead progress locally.

The international IHS faculty were Massimo Leone, Manjit Matharu, Daniele Martinelli, Freda Dodd-Glover, Derya Uluduz and Cristina Tassorelli.

The programme included sessions on basic anatomy of the nervous system, neurological examination, primary and secondary headaches, headache in special populations, and abortive, non-pharmacological and preventive treatment of migraine. There was also focus on clinical cases for a more hands-on approach to learning.

Pre- and post-course tests were held to assess the level of learning.

Thanks go especially to Massimo Leone and Daniele Martinelli who were the main organisers of the meeting. We hope this is the first of many similar educational courses offered by IHS in collaboration with established regional programmes.