Jerry W. Swanson

The Guest Editor of this issue of Seminars in Neurology on Headache is Jerry W. Swanson, M.D., Professor of Neurology in the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Consultant in Neurology at Mayo Clinic.

Perhaps the earliest evidence that Dr. Swanson would become a neurologist interested in headaches is in his undergraduate years at Wartburg College where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Chemistry and Philosophy. He went to Medical School at Northwestern University Medical School and did his neurology residency at the Mayo Clinic.

He has made tremendous contributions to the education of medical students in the Mayo Medical School and to the training of Neurology Residents and Fellows. He has mentored several individuals who have gone on to make significant contributions to our understanding of headache, including Dr. David Capobianco, Dr. David Dodick, Dr. Todd Rozen, Dr. Christopher Boes, Dr. Eric Eross, and Dr. David Black. Dr. Black told me that Dr. Swanson “has been an ideal mentor and friend, always supportive of his colleagues and deferential. He is a talented storyteller and is just as comfortable discussing the esoterica of politics as he is the fine points of complicated headache therapies.” The two phrases Dr. Black most associates with Dr. Swanson from his training, and passes along to his trainees, are (1) “if things do not fit, take more history” and (2) “migraines like change.” Dr. Boes told me that Dr. Swanson is the reason he chose a career in headache. To quote Dr. Boes, “Dr. Swanson is a great mentor and colleague who has an excellent knowledge of the history of neurology, and uses that knowledge to make neurology more interesting to his students and residents. I have great respect for Jerry and would consider him a master clinician.”

For all of us who know Dr. Swanson, he is a superb teacher, a great mentor, and a beloved colleague. He has put together an incredible review on headache. We are provided with a discussion of the clinical characteristics of every major headache disorder and several treatment options. Reading these manuscripts has changed the way I think about headache. Headache patients are some of the most difficult patients to treat. We are terribly grateful to Dr. Swanson and all of the contributors to this issue of Seminars in Neurology. Their reviews will improve our care of these patients not only today, but for many years to come.