Jes Olesen

Jes Olesen is a distinguished Professor of Neurology at the University of Copenhagen, Department of Clinical Medicine, specializing in headache disorders. He serves as an External Lecturer for the Master of Headache Disorders program and maintains his office at Blegdamsvej 3B in Copenhagen. With a career spanning over five decades since earning his MD in 1967, Professor Olesen has established himself as a leading authority in migraine and headache research.

His research interests focus primarily on headache disorders, migraine pathophysiology, cerebral blood flow, neurovascular signaling, and pain mechanisms. Olesen's work has been instrumental in advancing our understanding of migraine triggers, genetic factors in headache disorders, and neurovascular aspects of migraine. His research has evolved from early clinical observations to sophisticated molecular and genetic investigations, reflecting the progression of headache medicine as a scientific discipline.

Olesen's recent publications (2024-2025) demonstrate continued active research in migraine genetics, cerebral blood flow dynamics, neurovascular signaling pathways, and European neurological collaboration. His work spans both clinical investigations and basic science approaches, with particular emphasis on migraine provocation models, genetic associations, and vascular mechanisms in headache disorders.

• Harold G. Wolff Award, American Headache Society 1982
• Arnold P Friedman Award, American Headache Society 1990
• Monrad Krohn Prize, University of Oslo 1995
• Silver Medal, University of Marseilles 1995
• John J. Bonica Award, American Pain Society 1996
• Gold Medal, University of Bratislava 1997
• Honorary doctorate, University of Rome 2001
• Federigo Sicuteri prize, Italy 2003
• The Great Nordic Research Prize of the Lundbeck Foundation, 2010

Professor Olesen has initiated and supervised 41 doctoral theses (16 doctoral and 25 Ph.D.) at the University of Copenhagen and currently mentors 5 Ph.D. students and 2 postdoctoral researchers. He has served as principal investigator in numerous multinational drug trials and has received substantial research funding through his role as Director of the Lundbeck Foundation Center for Neurovascular Signaling (LUCENS). His laboratory work focuses on migraine mechanisms, particularly neurovascular aspects and genetic factors in headache disorders. Olesen has been instrumental in establishing the Danish Headache Center and has played a pivotal role in international headache classification systems through his chairmanship of multiple International Headache Classification Committees.