Espen Saxhaug Kristoffersen

Dr. Espen Saxhaug Kristoffersen is an Associate Professor at the Department of General Practice, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, and a Senior Consultant at the Stroke Unit and Department of Neurology, Akershus University Hospital. His academic career spans over a decade with a focus on headache disorders, stroke, and cerebral venous thrombosis.

Dr. Kristoffersen earned his Medical Degree (MD) from the University of Tromsø in 2005 after completing medical school from 1999-2005. His educational journey included clinical rotations at various hospitals including Longyearbyen Hospital in Svalbard and Hammerfest Hospital. He completed his PhD in 2014 with the thesis "Brief Intervention for Medication-overuse headache in primary care" through the Department of General Practice at the University of Oslo.

Dr. Kristoffersen's research spans multiple neurological domains with primary focus on headache disorders (particularly migraine and medication-overuse headache), stroke (ischemic and hemorrhagic), and cerebral venous thrombosis. His work integrates clinical practice with epidemiological studies, genetic research, and treatment optimization. He has made significant contributions to understanding headache epidemiology, stroke management during pandemics, and the relationship between work schedules and headache frequency.

Analysis of Dr. Kristoffersen's recent publications reveals a strong emphasis on cerebrovascular disorders and headache research. His work spans clinical trials, observational studies, and systematic reviews with particular focus on treatment protocols for stroke and headache disorders. Notably, he has contributed to international guidelines and large-scale collaborative studies examining anticoagulation in stroke, headache management in primary care, and neurological complications of infectious diseases including COVID-19.

Dr. Kristoffersen has received several prestigious awards recognizing his contributions to neurology and headache research:

• European Academy of Neurology (EAN) Investigator Award for the subspecialty Headache (2015)
• Norwegian Neurological Federation - National Headache fellowship (2018)
• Best poster presentation at the Norwegian Neurology Congress (2018)
• Forsberg og Aulies legat (2018)
• Norwegian Neurological Federation – National Neurology Fellowship (2020)

Dr. Kristoffersen has led multiple significant research projects including the Long-term follow-up of Brief Intervention for Medication Overuse Headache, studies on neurology residents' knowledge of headache management, and investigations into Norwegian GPs' handling of headache patients. He currently leads several ongoing studies including the Akershus aCute Headache Evaluation (ACHE-1), the Akershus Study of Ischemic Stroke and Thrombolysis (ASIST-1), and epidemiological research on cerebral venous thrombosis in Norway.

Dr. Kristoffersen is actively involved in several research groups and international collaborations including the Clinical Neuroscience Group at Akershus University Hospital, the Health Services Research group, the International Cluster Headache Genetics Consortium, the International Migraine Genetics Consortium, and the Global COVID-19 Stroke Registry. He serves as the Norwegian representative to the International Headache Society and European Headache Federation, and contributes to the European Academy of Neurology Scientific Panel on Headache.