Will you join us? Let's find a cure for debilitating headaches. Donate or subscribe today.

Founded in 2014, the Will Erwin Headache Research Foundation maintains a singular mission to find a cure for debilitating headaches. Our work honors the life of Will Erwin, a courageous young man who battled cluster headaches. At the age of 24, he succumbed to his suffering by taking his own life. Will described the pain of cluster headaches as a knife being stabbed into his eye with no relief for days. Will's family quickly learned that he was not alone in his pain. With a team of visionaries, including Emeritus Board Member Jeff Love, the Will Erwin Headache Research Foundation was formed by

Will's parents, Jimmy and Pam Erwin.

In 2016, the Foundation established the Will Erwin Headache Research Center in Houston, Texas. This collaboration with UTHealth and Memorial Hermann Foundation boasts one of the nation’s premier Neurologists and Headache Researchers, Dr. Mark Burish. Dr. Burish partners with experts across the globe to bring clinical support to approximately 1200 patients annually. In addition, he enrolls patients in clinical trials and conducts groundbreaking research. Dr. Burish has been pivotal in the creation of a cluster headache pain scale and researching the connection between circadian rhythms and debilitating headaches.

To date, the Will Erwin Headache Research Foundation has served over 10,000 patients and raised more than $5M in direct funding for headache research. We have achieved tremendous momentum.

Our conquest to find a cure, however, is far from complete.

Dr. Burish continues his tremendous work at the WEHR Center through patient support, clinical trials, and direct headache research. He was approached recently by Pfizer and is currently conducting clinical trials with a nasal spray medication. He is hopeful that the nasal spray will prove to relieve pain faster than the more traditional oral format of prescription pain relief.

On the Foundation side, the Will Erwin Headache Research Foundation hired our first Executive Director, Catherine Pressly Herring, in 2025. The Foundation has set our visions high with the launching of a 5-Year Strategic Plan in 2026. Goals include upgrading internal systems and technology, adding an annual Women's Event to our fundraising efforts, and hiring a second physician to cut Dr. Burish's patient wait time of 9 months in half by the end of 2027.

Will you join us?

Will you join us? Let's find a cure for debilitating headaches. Donate or subscribe today.