Therapeutic Areas

Neurology
Psychiatry/Psychology
Sleep

Center Overview

The Michigan Head-Pain & Neurological Institute (MHNI), the nation’s first comprehensive head pain treatment and research center, was founded by Dr. Joel Saper in 1978 to provide intensive, balanced treatment of headache and other painful disorders. The Institute is the only center of its kind to be accredited by both the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO, www.JCAHO.com) and the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF, www.CARF.org). On-site neurodiagnostic and laboratory services are available to MHNI patients. Testing is performed by highly qualified licensed technicians and interpreted by physician specialists at the Institute. The Laboratory Division is fully accredited by the Commission on Office Laboratory Accreditation (COLA, www.COLA.org) and has been repeatedly recognized for its commitment to excellence in laboratory testing.

For over three decades the Institute has been focused on addressing the needs of patients with headache and other painful illnesses, and neurological disorders through advanced clinical care, research, and health education.

Please refer to our main web site at www.MHNI.com for a full description of the services provided at MHNI. Selected information is available on this web site and can be accessed by clicking the hyperlink above. You may also contact us by email with any questions or for an appointment with our research staff.

Clinical Research Experience

MHNI has been involved in over 500 research and clinical trials since its inception in 1978. The Research Division of MHNI continues to focus on the following therapeutic areas:

• PEDIATRIC AND ADOLESCENT MIGRAINE, ACUTE AND CHRONIC
• ADULT ACUTE AND CHRONIC MIGRAINE
• TENSION HEADACHE
• CLUSTER HEADACHE
• NEUROPATHIC PAIN
• OSTEOARTHRITIS
• CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME
• FIBROMYALGIA
• INSOMNIA AND OTHER SLEEP DISORDERS
• SMOKING CESSATION
• OTHER CHRONIC PAIN DISORDERS

The Institute has conducted clinical trials with pharmaceutical industry sponsors that include Abbott, Allergan., AstraZeneca , Bristol-Myers Squibb, Capnia, Cephalon, Cypress, Carnick, CoCensys, Eisai, Elan, Endo, Forest, GlaxoSmithKline, Janssen, R.W. Johnson, Eli Lilly, Map Pharmaceuticals Merck, NBI, NPS, Novartis, Ortho-McNeil, Parke-Davis, Pfizer, Pozen, Purdue Pharma, RPR, Sandoz, Schwarz,Searle, Takeda, TorreyPines, ucb Pharma, Vanda, Vernalis, Winston, and others. The Institute has also conducted medical device trials with Boston Scientific, Medtronic and St. Jude Medical.

Facility Description

Michigan HeadPain & Neurological Institute is located in Ann Arbor, surrounded by the University of Michigan, Eastern Michigan University, and Washtenaw Community College. We include the local academic community as well as the greater Detroit metropolitan area in our research patient population. The Institute is located 23 miles from the Detroit Metro Airport, and has spacious free parking.

The MHNI campus includes 20 clinical examination rooms, acute care accommodations, procedure rooms for infusion and interventional treatment, physical therapy, laboratory, behavioral medicine, and neurodiagnostic facilities and staff. The Institute maintains strict confidentiality and security standards compliant with CARF and JCAHO requirements. The multidisciplinary team of professionals at MHNI includes specialists in Neurology, Internal Medicine, Anesthesiology, and Psychology / Neuropsychology (PhDs), as well as Physical Therapists, Physician Assistants, Registered Nurses, Medical Technologists (ASCP), and Psychometrician.

MHNI Clinical Research Division provides:

• Physician Investigators and Sub-Investigators on-site Monday through Friday
• Experienced full-time RN Study Coordinators
• Contract and Budget Facilitator
• Regulatory Specialist
• Extensive Subject Database with Cross-Reference Capability
• Prompt / Accurate Data Entry
• Computerized Scheduling and Patient Tracking
• Customized Source Documents
• HIPAA Compliance
• Dedicated Monitor Office
• Utilization of Central IRBs

Investigator Experience

Joel R. Saper, M.D., F.A.C.P., F.A.A.N.
Founder and Director of the Institute and the inpatient Head Pain Treatment Unit at Chelsea Community Hospital. Dr. Saper has been a Principal Investigator in over 200 studies and has over 30 years of experience in original research and sponsored clinical trials. Board certified in both Neurology and Pain Medicine, Dr.Saper’s work is widely published in peer reviewed journals and professional literature.

Charles David Gordon, MD, formerly at the John R. Graham Headache Center in Boston, has been with MHNI since 1990. He has served as Principal Investigator in clinical trials for Acute Migraine in adolescents, Migraine Prophylaxis in adults, and Osteoarthritis of the knee, as well as Sub-Investigator and Cardiac Consultant for many additional studies.

Alvin E. Lake III, PhD, is Senior Research Psychologist and Director of the Behavioral Medicine Division at MHNI. He has extensive training and experience in protocol development, statistical analysis, and data reporting, all utilized in Institute clinical and program outcome studies. Dr. Lake has achieved both national and international recognition for his clinical work and research publications.

James R. Weintraub, DO, a board-certified Neurologist and Sleep Disorders Specialist, came to MHNI in 1995. He is Principal Investigator in studies of Diabetic Neuropathy, Post-Herpetic Neuralgia, and other painful neuropathic conditions, and Insomnia and other Sleep Disorders. Dr. Weintraub is also an active Sub-Investigator in chronic and acute headache treatment trials.

Alicia R. Prestegaard, MD, is board certified in both Neurology and Pain Medicine. She also completed a fellowship in electromyography. Dr. Prestegaard’s focus in clinical trials, as well as clinical practice, is the treatment of Recurrent Headache and other Chronic Pain Conditions.

Shamas Moheyuddin, MD, completed his residency in Anesthesiology and a Fellowship in Interventional Pain Management before coming to MHNI in 2005. In addition to his clinical practice of invasive and non-invasive treatment options for a wide range of painful disorders, he is currently involved in studies evaluating Peripheral Nerve Stimulation for the treatment of Chronic Migraine.

For more information on our investigators please click here.

Staff Expertise

Marjorie Winters, R.N., Division Director, Research & Education, has over 15 years of experience in directing MHNI staff original clinical studies and coordinating industry sponsored pharmaceutical trials. She facilitates budget and contract processes, and serves as clinical / administrative liaison.

Shawn Szalay, RN, CCRP, had experience in Clinical Drug Safety Monitoring before coming to MHNI in 2002 to become Manager of Pharmaceutical Trials. She oversees staff training, and has developed a successful subject recruitment program resulting in meeting or exceeding enrollment goals well within target timelines.

Amy Amazeen joined the staff at MHNI in 2001. Her specialty is ‘Study Start-Up’ , Regulatory Documents, and data entry in a variety of RDC programs.

Jennifer Majestic, RN, CCRP on staff at MHNI since 2002, has been primary Study Coordinator for clinical trials in Acute and Chronic Migraine, Health Economics, Post-Herpetic Neuralgia, and others.

Anita Severance, RN has been with the institute since 2006 and has been a research coordinator since 2011. She has been a primary coordinator on clinical trials in Migraine, Diabetic Neuropathy, Cluster Headaches, and Multiple Sclerosis.

For more information on our staff please click here.

Patient Demographics

The Research Division of MHNI draws from a population of pediatric, adolescent, adult, and geriatric patients primarily in the southeastern region of Michigan, northwest Ohio, and northeast Indiana; a population base of over 6 million. The clinic provides over 20,000 visits per year to headache and pain patients nationwide; depending on the parameters of the study, research participants may be drawn from this population as well.

Contact Center

If you are interested in contacting this center to discuss placing a clinical trial there, please complete and send the email form below. A representative from the research center will then follow up with you.