Advocacy Through Research: Expanding Access, Education and Hope by Dr. Derek Pyland “I became involved in research as a Headache Medicine Fellow, seeing it more than an academic pursuit, but as a form of advocacy. Research allows us to explore new ways to improve care, close knowledge gaps, and spread information about what we already know—especially for conditions that are misunderstood or stigmatized. With research ranging from laboratory science to behavioral interventions, I believe it’s important to lean into projects that align with personal strengths and passions, given it’s also an additional demand on top of regular clinical responsibilities. For me, that passion is patient education. My mentor recognized how much I enjoyed helping patients understand their migraines and connected me with a project focused on large-scale patient education. Office visits are often packed with diagnostic and treatment priorities, leaving little time to address the kinds of validating, empoweri...