Mark Burish, MD, PhD & Alan Kaplan
Associate Professor; Director
UTHealth Houston; NDPHaware Inc.
Mark J. Burish, MD, PhD, who is board certified in neurology and fellowship trained in pain medicine, specializes in the treatment of neck pain, back pain, and neuropathic pain. His research interests focus on headache and facial pain.
A cum laude graduate of Princeton University, Dr. Burish received his MD/PhD in the Vanderbilt Medical Scientist Training Program at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. He completed his residency in neurology at the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF), where he was co-chief resident of the UCSF Moffitt-Long Medical Service and was inducted into Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. During his residency, he was also honored with the Core Clerkship Teaching Award, voted by third-year medical students as one of five residents who went “above and beyond in terms of dedication to teaching, mentorship, community building, patient care, and medical-student development and support.” He completed his fellowship in interventional pain management in the Department of Anesthesiology at UCSF.
Dr. Burish is a co-author of articles that have appeared in The BMJ, The Lancet Neurology, JAMA Neurology, Neurology, and PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America), among others.
In addition to his membership in Alpha Omega Alpha, he is a member of the American Academy of Neurology and a fellow of the American Headache Society.
Alan Kaplan worked for over 25 years in the fine wine and spirits industry and 15 years in the restaurant business. His career was cut short by the onset of new daily persistent headache (NDPH), a rare and challenging condition he was diagnosed with around 2018. After exploring various treatments without success, Alan recognized a significant gap in research, information, and FDA-approved treatments for NDPH, which motivated him to take action. This insight led him to shift from patient to dedicated patient advocate.
In 2022, Alan founded the nonprofit NDPHaware, a registered organization focused on promoting research and awareness for NDPH. His advocacy began in 2021, participating in events like the Clusterbusters conference, Coalition for Headache and Migraine Patients (CHAMP) gatherings, the Migraine World Summit, and Headache on the Hill. With the support of Clusterbusters, Alan established NDPHaware, and since then, he has engaged in initiatives like attending American Headache Society conferences and helping to create the first NDPH Patient Experience Survey alongside Dr. Burish and other specialists.
Alan is currently untreated for NDPH and remains dedicated to raising awareness and advocating for more effective treatments for this condition.
