I currently work as a Neurologist/Professor at the Hull York Medical School and Hull University Teaching Hospitals. I qualified from Dow Medical College, Karachi, Pakistan in 1986 and moved to the United Kingdom following residency. I received clinical training at the St James’s University Hospital, Leeds and Imperial College of Medicine, London where I received clinical and research training in headache disorders at the Princess Margaret Migraine Clinic. As a full-time Clinician I served in the field of headache for 28 years and contributed towards headache research, management and education. I served as clinical director in Neurosciences for 10 years (2002-2012) during which I completed an MBA with distinction in public sector management from the University of Hull and was awarded the postgraduate certificate in medical education (PGCME) from Hull York Medical School (2015).

I established the Hull Headache Clinic (1996) that provides tertiary care in headache disorders. Our clinical research focuses on ways to improve the diagnosis of cluster headache (CH) and in the treatment of chronic migraine. We have the largest cohort of patients treated with Botulinum Toxin (BT) over the last 10 years and have explored the long term outcome of this treatment. My research group seeks to establish clinical tools in making an early diagnosis of CH acknowledging the impact of this condition in patients’ quality of life. I have been a Chief Investigator in many clinical trials (Phase 2,3 and 4) involving BT, CGRP antagonist and MAB.

I work very closely with patient and professional headache organisations. I am a Trustee of the Migraine Trust (MT), Educational officer for the British Association for the Study of Headache (BASH), member of the headache advisory group for Association of British Neurologist (ABN), director of Migraine Trust International Symposium (MTIS) and served on NICE and BASH committees in the development of headache guidelines. Working in collaboration for the MT and BASH, I have organised UK nationwide meetings on headaches since 2005 and with the IHS, teaching courses at the International Headache Congress (IHC). I have been invited to deliver teaching in Denmark, Sri-Lanka, Pakistan, South Korea and Iran. I have previously served as a co-opted trustee of the IHS, Chair of BASH and Headache UK.