Helping Kids & Teens Manage Migraine
Key Questions
- How might migraine present differently in youth versus adulthood?
- Is migraine commonly underdiagnosed in children and adolescents, and what are the challenges in diagnosis?
- Why is early and effective treatment important for each migraine attack?
- What first-line treatments are recommended for a migraine attack?
- What is important for caregivers to know about the safety of triptans?
- What nonpharmacologic options exist for prevention, and when are they considered?
- What factors guide the decision to begin daily pill-based preventive therapy?
- How is the close connection between migraine and mental health typically addressed and managed?
- What are the most crucial approaches or accommodations to help a student with migraine succeed academically?
- How can clinicians and parents help teens manage migraine without feeling defined by it?
Christina L. Szperka, MD, MSCE, FAHS
Director, Pediatric Headache Program
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Christina Szperka, MD, MSCE, has been interested in the treatment of chronic pain since she was an undergraduate at Amherst College, in Amherst, Massachusetts, and focused on pediatric pain while pursuing her medical degree at Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut.
Dr. Szperka completed residencies in pediatrics and child neurology at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), and a fellowship in headache medicine at the Jefferson Headache Center at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. She is board certified in child neurology and headache medicine.
Dr. Szperka divides her time between patient care and projects aimed at improving the diagnosis and treatment of children with headaches across CHOP and beyond. In 2013, she was named director of the newly formed Pediatric Headache Program. She has received grants to improve clinical care of and treatment options for headache.
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Related Talks for: Day 6 (2026)
Migraine in Older Adulthood: What Really Changes?
Robert P. Cowan, MD, FAAN, FAHS
Navigating U.S. Social Security & Private Disability Options for Migraine
Stacy Monahan Tucker, JD
How Location & Lifestyle Influence Migraine Triggers
Tsubasa Takizawa, MD, PhD
The Global Healthy Living Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve the quality of life for people with chronic illnesses (such as arthritis, osteoporosis, migraine, psoriasis, asthma, alopecia, inflammatory bowel disease, and cardiovascular disease) by advocating for improved access to health care at the community, state, and federal levels, and amplifying education and awareness efforts within its social media framework.
