Roberta Messina
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Biography
Dr. Roberta Messina is Head of the Headache and Facial Pain Center at the Neurology Unit of IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, directed by Prof. Massimo Filippi.
After graduating with honors in Medicine and Surgery from Vita-Salute San Raffaele University in 2011, she specialized in Neurology at the same university, obtaining her Neurology degree in 2018 (grade: 70/70 with honors).
During her specialization, she worked for 18 months at the Headache Center of King’s College London, where she deepened her knowledge and expertise in the diagnosis and treatment of headaches and facial pain.
Her clinical activity mainly focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of primary headaches, such as migraine, tension-type headache, and cluster headache, secondary headaches, and facial pain disorders, including trigeminal neuralgia. She is involved in numerous clinical trials evaluating the efficacy and safety of new therapies for migraine prevention.
After specialization, she undertook a PhD program in Experimental Neurology at Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, where she currently carries out research activity as a researcher.
During her career, she gained experience at two major international headache centers: the Headache Center at King’s College London and the Danish Headache Center in Copenhagen.
Her research activity is focused on studying the pathophysiological mechanisms of migraine and headaches through advanced magnetic resonance imaging techniques, with the aim of improving the understanding of the processes underlying the disease. She was awarded a ministerial grant for the development of one of these projects.
At the same time, she studies acute and preventive migraine therapies, with particular attention to the optimization of therapeutic pathways.
She has participated in numerous research projects in collaboration with national and international groups.
In 2024, she received the Enrico Greppi Award, a prestigious recognition granted within the major scientific societies dedicated to headaches.
She is the author of numerous publications in indexed international scientific journals and book chapters. She is a member of the Editorial Board of The Journal of Headache and Pain and Neurology, serves as a reviewer for numerous scientific journals, and is a member of the Educational Committee of the International Headache Society and of the Scientific Committee of the Italian Neurological Association for Headache Research.