About EMHA

Patrick Little has been a Board member and Treasurer of EMHA since 2016, very recently he has become President of the EMHA. He is CEO of the Migraine Association of Ireland (MAI) since 2008. During this time he has been involved in discussions with the health authorities in Ireland in drafting a Care Pathway for Headache as part of a Neurology Clinical Programme. He has played an active part in the discussions which led to development of The Governance Code for the Community, Voluntary and Charitable Sector in Ireland.

Patrick is also a Board member of the Neurological Alliance of Ireland, a member of the National Council of the Disability Federation of Ireland, and an active member of IPPOSI- the Irish Platform for Patients’ Organisations, Science & Industry which houses the EUPATI project.

Prior to working with MAI he lived in Scotland for 30 years where he worked in the NGO mental health sector. During that time he:

• Represented the United Kingdom on two Pan-European projects on young people’s mental health. He was also the Scottish representative on a European project looking at Social Exclusion and Mental Health.
• Was part of a group which helped the European Commission examine its relationship with the World Health Organisation in relation to mental health.
• Carried out a Baseline Study for a Young People’s Mental Health Project in Vanuatu, South Pacific.
• Was a member of the Scottish Needs Assessment Programme (SNAP) Core Working Group which completed a two-year review of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services in Scotland.
• Was a core member of a Planning Group which produced a Framework for the Prevention and Reduction of Suicide in Scotland.
• Was a member of Scottish Government’s Planning Group for tackling Social Exclusion of people with mental health problems.
• Was an active member of local Drug and Alcohol Action Teams.
• Chaired and led the Scottish Self-Harm Forum for several years.

Chief of the Headache Clinic INI Grottaferrata
Board Member and Medical Advisor European Migraine and Headache Alliance Research Associate, University Centre for Adaptive Disorders and Headache (UCADH), Pavia, Italy
Professor of Clinical Neurology at the Nursing School of the Tor Vergata University,Rome
Assistant at the Neuro-Rehabilitation Unit, INI Grottaferrata National Coordinator Alleanza Cefalalgici Cluster

Clinical Experience

– 2001- present
Chief of the Headache Clinic at the Neurological Institute INI, Grottaferrata (Rome), Italy Neurologist Consultant, Adult Inpatient Rehabilitation Clinic INI Grottaferrata (Rome)

– 1998 – 2002
Neurologist Consultant, Adult Inpatient Rehabilitation Clinic, INI Monteripoli, Tivoli (Rome) Headache Outpatient Clinic, Istituto di Clinica delle Malattie Nervose e Mentali, Università “La Sapienza”, Rome

– 1994 – 1998
Clinical Neurology Resident, Istituto di Clinica delle Malattie Nervose e Mentali, Università “La Sapienza”, Rome
Outpatient Neurology Clinic, Istituto di Clinica delle Malattie Nervose e Mentali, Università “La Sapienza”, Rome
Adult Inpatient Neurology Clinic, II Clinica Neurologica, Istituto di Clinica delle Malattie Nervose e Mentali, Università “La Sapienza”, Rome
Multiple Sclerosis Center, Istituto di Clinica delle Malattie Nervose e Mentali, Università “La Sapienza”, Rome (Supervisor: Dr G.Pozzessere)
Diabetic Neuropathy Study Centre, Istituto di Clinica delle Malattie Nervose e Mentali, Università “La Sapienza”, Rome
Adult Inpatient Psychiatry Clinic, Nuova Clinica Villa Von Siebenthal, Genzano di
Roma (Rome)
– 1993 – 1994 –
Medical LieuTenant, Military Airport “A.Guidoni” Medical Unit, Guidonia (Rome)
– 1991 – 1992
Clinical Neurology Practical training, Istituto di Clinica delle Malattie Nervose e Mentali, Università “La Sapienza”, Rome

Research Experience

– 2002 – present
Research Assistant, Research Unit INI Grottaferrata (Rome) and University Centre for Adaptive Disorders and Headache, Pavia (Supervisors: Prof. G. Nappi, Prof. G. Sandrini, Prof Cristina Tassorelli);
Main research areas; Headaches, Pain Medicine, Clinical Neurophysiology
Specific topics; Migraine pathophysiology. Migraine therapy. Migraine comorbidity. Headache-related disability. Headache Psychobiology Trigemino-autonomic cephalgias therapy. Medication overuse headache therapy and pathophysiology. Complementary and alternative medicine and headaches. Public health and headaches. Pain neurophysiology. Techniques used: Multimodal evoked potentials. Laser- evoked potentials. Nociceptive Flexion Reflex. Trigemino-cervical reflexes. Psychometric tests.

Current research projects are conducted in collaboration with

• • IRCCS C.Mondino, Pavia, Italy
  • IRCCS S.Lucia, Rome, Italy
  • IRCCS Neuromed, Pozzilli (IS), Italy
  • IRCCS Bambino Gesù, Rome, Italy
  • University Hospital Glostrup Copenaghen, Denmark
  • Dept. of Clinical Neurology and Otolaryngology and Dept. of Neurological Sciences,University of Rome “La Sapienza”
  • Dept. of Neuroscience, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”
  • CHR La Cittadelle, Liege, Belgium
  • Alleanza Cefalalgici

-1999-2002
Ph.D Student Neurophysiology Unit, Dept. Of Clinical Neurology and Otorinolaryngology, University of Rome “La Sapienza”

– 1992-1998
Research Assistant Neurophysiology Unit, Dept. Of Clinical Neurology and Otorinolaryngology, University of Rome “La Sapienza”

Main research areas; Clinical Neurophysiology. Headaches. Diabetic Neuropathy. Autonomic Nervous System Disorders. Muscle cramps. Pain medicine. Spinal reflexes

Specific topics; Central and Peripheral Nervous System Involvement in Diabetic Neuropathy; Natural History and Early Diagnosis. Relationship Between Neuropathy and Other Complications in Diabetes Mellitus. Autonomic Abnormalities in Central and Peripheral Nervous System Disorders. Small-fibres neuropathy assessment. Pathophysiology of pupillary district. Laser-evoked potentials in pain assessment. Treatment and Neurophysiology of muscle cramps. Neurophysiology of spinothalamic tracts and spinal reflexes. Treatment and Neurophysiology of migraine

Techniques used; Multimodal Evoked Potentials. Laser Evoked Potential. Pupillometry. Cardiovascular Autonomic Tests. Electrophysiology. Electromyography.

Studies conducted both in Human and Animal models

– 2000 (January to March)
Research assistant, Service Universitaire de Neurologie CHR de La Citadelle, Liege, Belgique (Supervisors: Dr A. Ambrosini, Prof. J. Shoenen)
Main research areas. Neurophysiology of migraine

– 1997 (January to July)
Research Assistant Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, University Hospital, Utrecht, The Netherlands (Supervisors: Dr P.L Oey, Ph.D., Prof. A.C. Van Huffelen, Ph.D.)

Main Research Areas; Autonomic Nervous System Disorders, Functional Correlation Between Gastrointestinal and Cardiovascular System. Autonomic Nervous System Disorders, Functional Correlation Between Gastrointestinal and Cardiovascular System.

Specific Topics; Cardiovascular Response to Gastric Distension. Autonomic Abnormalities in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Role of Autonomic Dysfunction in Gastrointestinal Motility Disorders.

Techniques used: Muscle Sympathetic Nerve Activity (MSNA). Cardiovascular Autonomic Tests. Spectral Analysis of Heart Rate and Blood Pressure

GCP/ICH experience accumulated in participating in a double-blind placebo controlled trial of the effectiveness of frovatriptan in menstrual-related migraine (2006, study not completed for administrative problems) and several therapeutic protocols on diabetic neuropathy during tha academic education

Scientific and Academic Societies Other activities

Member of the Board of the European Migraine and Headache Alliance
Member of the International Headache Society
Member of the Special Group of Interest on Cluster Headache of the International Headache Society
Coordinator of Alleanza Cefalalgici International
National Coordinator of Alleanza Cefalalgici Cluster
Responsible for Italy of the EMHA campaign “What is Under The Hat”
Member of the Board of the Italian Society for the study of Headaches (SISC)
Member of the Italian Linguistic Subcommittee of the International Headache Society (IHS) Member of the subcommittee for the Italian diagnostic and therapeutic guidelines for headaches (SISC)
Member of the interuniversity task-force of the Functional Neurology Club and of the intercontinental research group COMOESTAS (supported by EU)
Member of the Scientific and Editorial Committee of the journal Frontiers in Neurology, Journal of Intercultural Ethnopharmacology, Confinia Cephalalgica, Alternative & Integrative Medicine and the website www.cefalea.it

• Referee of the Scientific Journals – Cephalalgia, Journal of Headache and Pain, Headache, Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, NeurologyIndia, Expert Pharmacoterapy Review, European Journal of Neurology, Clinical Neurophysiology, Functional Neurology, Complementary therapies in Medicine, Neurological Science, BMC Neurology, Confinia Cephalalgica, BMJopen

Reviewer for Excerpta Medica-Literature Service (Headache and Facial Pain area)
Professor at the Board of Qualification in Headache Disorders (SISC) and Master in Headache Medicine (SISC)
Professor at the European Headache Federation Summer School
Winner of the “Cefalee in cerca di autore Award” (2009)
Winner of the European Civic Prize 2017 (category “patient empowerment”)

Expertise and professional abilities

First language:Italian
Other language: English (written and spoken)

Relational abilities and expertise:

As National coordinator of Alleanza Cefalalgici Cluster and Regional Coordinator of Alleanza Cefalalgici I’ve been the founder of a working group composed by physicians and patients that has produced a lot of innovative activities and pionieristic activities such as:

• The foundation of an online support group for headache patients (2004-now)
• The foundation of a social network group devoted to support and education forheadache patients (2008-now)
• The development of patient-driven research projects on headache (2008-now)
• The realization of a documentary entitled Headache histories (preview presented atEU parliament in 2010, currently in an editing phase)
• The creation of a virtual gallery of artworks dedicated to cluster headache (ARTeCluster Project, coming soon on www.artecluster.cefalea.it)

Technical abilities and expertise: good knowledge of many information and
neurophysiological technologies