Headache and Facial Pain Fellowship Program

The Division of Headache and Facial in the Department of Neurology at the University of Pennsylvania offers a one-year fellowship in Headache and Facial Pain. Our division currently includes a multidisciplinary team of headache specialists, advanced practice providers, nurses, social workers, and other health care professionals and support staff who provide care for an array of primary and secondary headache disorders in adults. Fellows will have the opportunity to work in outpatient clinics at three sites: Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine (affiliated with Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania), Penn Neurology at Pennsylvania Hospital, and Penn Medicine University City (affiliated with Penn Presbyterian Medical Center). These are all located within 3 miles radius in the City of Philadelphia. Our patients benefit from clinical services offered by Good Shepherd Penn Partners who provided specialized headache PT/OT services, Symptom Management Clinic, who provide urgent infusions, and Pharmacy Services, who provide scheduled infusions and specialty pharmacy services. We collaborate closely with colleagues in neurosurgery, interventional radiology (i.e. myelography, CSF leak repair), Spine Center, oral maxillofacial surgery, neuro-ophthalmology, Penn Pituitary Center, Giant Cell Arteritis Clinic, ENT, OB/GYN, and sleep medicine. Furthermore, we work closely with our colleagues at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) in the Pediatric Headache Program.

Fellowship curriculum

The fellowship program offers flexibility depending on the career goals of the fellow, but generally has the following structure:

• Fellows’ continuity clinic
• Outpatient clinic training with headache and facial pain providers
• Specialty clinics include:
  • Facial Pain;
  • Post-Traumatic Headache;
  • Women’s Health;
  • LGBTQIA+ Headache
• Headache and facial procedures including:
  • nerve blocks,
  • trigger point injections;
  • SPG blocks;
  • chemodenervation with onabotulinumtoxinA for chronic migraine and facial pain.
  Development of a research project or other scholarship is encouraged.

Elective rotations include

• Pediatric Headache Medicine at CHOP
• Headache Physical Therapy
• Pain Medicine (Anesthesia at Tuttleman Center)
• Neuro-ophthalmology

Application process

The Penn Headache and Facial Pain fellowship is now recruiting fellows starting training on July 1, 2028. Our fellow program participates in the NRMP Match for Headache Medicine. For detailed information on the Headache Fellowship Application process and timeline, please visit: American Headache Society Headache Medicine Fellowship Opportunities Website for the timeline .

Requirement for Applicants

• Successful completion of an ACGME-accredited Neurology residency (or Canadian equivalent) prior to start of fellowship
• Eligible for medical licensure in the state of Pennsylvania, including successful completion of USMLE Step 3 (or COMLEX Level 3)
• Application Requirements:
  • Curriculum Vitae
  • Personal Statement
  • Professional Photo
  • USMLE scores, Steps 1, 2 and 3
  • Three Letters of Recommendation
  • Please email completed application to PennNeuroFellowships@uphs.upenn.edu

Clinical education

Fellows will have an opportunity to lead lecture and case discussions on headache disoders with neurology clerkship students. Fellows regularly interact with medical students and neurology residents in our headache outpatient clinics. Fellows also lead monthly journal club sessions, which is combined with Penn and CHOP. Fellows may also collaborate with trainees on scholarly projects.

Didactics available for fellows:

• Penn & CHOP Headache Grand Rounds lecture series (monthly)
• Penn & CHOP Headache Journal Club (monthly)
• Penn & CHOP Headache Case Conference (monthly)
• Penn Division Meetings with case presentations and literature review (bimonthly)
• Penn Interdisciplinary Facial Pain Case Conference (once a semester)
• Penn Neurology Grand Rounds (weekly)

Fellows are encouraged to attend national conferences on headache and facial pain. Funding is available to support travel with additional funds available if fellows present at a national conference. Additional funding can be obtained from the American Headache Society.

Research information

We view our fellows as long-term colleagues and are deeply invested in their success — whether they build their careers at Penn or pursue opportunities elsewhere. Our goal is to support not just their training, but their lasting impact on the field.

For fellows interested in expanding their research experience beyond the clinical fellowship, Penn Neurology offers a range of opportunities. Multiple T32 training grants are available, providing structured support for fellows pursuing expertise in epidemiology or basic science research. These options are highly individualized, and candidates are encouraged to explore the path that best aligns with their career goals. An array of resources from funding, education, and training are also available with the Penn Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics.

Dr. Kaiser and other faculty in the department conduct a range of research that extends from the bench to the clinical bedside. Our faculty also collaborate with wide range of faculty across Penn Medicine and the University of Pennsylvania. We are invested in helping fellows identify mentors who support their research career development.

Contact information

Juliana Adedipe
Email: Juliana.Adedipe@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

Program leadership and faculty