The Stanford Headache Program Research

Dr. Cowan’s clinical research focuses on the use of technology to improve encounter efficiency and outcomes in headache medicine. Present projects include development of on-line tools to generate detailed patient histories and delineation of diagnostic impressions based on established criteria, generation of criteria for standardized credentialing of educators in headache, including training, testing and certification.

His basic research focuses on approaches to better understanding the phenomenon of chronic daily headache. Utilizing technologies ranging from resting state imaging to microanalysis of cerebrospinal fluid and blood, his team is looking at changes present in patients who suffer with headache more days than not at the goal is to identify ways that these changes in conjunction with novel therapies such as transcranial magnetic stimulation, novel pharmacologic therapies, and interventional techniques will result in fewer, less severe headaches.