About me
Carrie Dougherty, MD, is an associate professor of Neurology at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and the program director for MedStar Georgetown's Headache Medicine Fellowship Program. She is board certified in neurology and headache medicine and is a fellow of the American Headache Society.
At the MedStar Georgetown University Hospital Headache Center, Dr. Dougherty uses a multi-disciplinary approaches to treat headache and related pain conditions including migraine, occipital neuralgia, post-traumatic headache, cluster headache and tension headache. Dr. Dougherty and her colleagues at the Headache Center collaborate with MedStar Georgetown's physical therapists, interventional pain management specialists, pain psychologists, and with other departments focused on evaluating and treating pain symptoms.
One important focus for the MedStar Georgetown University Hospital Headache Center is that Dr. Dougherty actively supports is educating patients their families that migraine is not "just a bad headache." It is a neurologic disease.
Dr. Dougherty's Philosophy of Care
Migraine myths and stigmas are added burdens for people who suffer from migraines. For example, people with migraines may be perceived as making excuses for not working or for missing activities, or as lazy. Many people don't understand that migraine symptoms can be unrelenting and severely disabling.
At the MedStar Georgetown University Hospital Headache Center I work hard with my colleagues to try and raise awareness about migraine as an inherited neurologic disease. I want my patients to feel empowered and learning about their condition helps them feel more in control. I educate them about migraine, treatment options and lifestyle factors that may contribute to migraines. I also help my patients understand that treatments aren't always limited to medication. We work as a team to explore all our options for migraine management. I am very open to my patients' interests and suggestions for managing migraine symptoms.
Dr. Dougherty's Publications/Presentations
- Neck Tongue Syndrome. Current Pain and Headache Reports, 2016.
- Emergency and inpatient treatment of migraine: An American Headache Society Survey. British Journal of Medicine & Medical Research, 2014.
- Occipital neuralgia. Current Pain and Headache Reports, 2014.
- Providing care for patients with chronic migraine: Diagnosis, treatment and management. Pain Practice, 2014.
- OnabotulinumtoxinA in the treatment of migraine headache. Techniques in Regional Anesthesia & Pain Management, 2012.
Clinical areas of focus
- Botox Injection For Migraines
- Cervicogenic Dizziness Treatment
- Chronic Headache Treatment
- Headache
- Headache Prevention
- Migraine
- Migraine Prevention
- Muscle Injection
- Nerve Block
- Tension Headache Prevention
- Trigeminal Neuralgia
Conditions and procedures
Conditions I treat
- Cognitive Function Disorders
- Disorders Of Trigeminal Nerve
- Dizziness And Lightheadedness
- Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
- Emotional Disorders
- Facial Nerve Disorder
- Gait And Balance Problems
- Head Injury
- Headache
- Migraine
- Mononeuropathy Of Lower Limb
- Myoneural Disorders
- Myopathies
- Neurodegeneration
- Nontraumatic Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
- Ocular Myasthenia Gravis
- Poisoning
- Sensory Neuropathy
- Sports Concussion
- Trigeminal Neuralgia
- Vestibular Disorders
- Vision Disturbances
Procedures I perform
- Aortic Stenosis Treatment
- Brain Tumor Surgery
- Brain Wave Testing
- Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) Analysis
- Cervical Epidural Steroid Injection
- Cervicogenic Dizziness Treatment
- Chronic Headache Treatment
- Computerized Tomography (CT) Scan
- Diagnostic Radiology
- Disease Prevention
- Electroencephalogram
- Electroencephalogram Review
- Electroencephalogram Setup And Takedown
- Electromyography
- Facial Weakness Treatment
- Geriatric Sleep Disorder Treatment
- Huntington's Disease Management
- Iliopsoas Injection
- Kinesiology Analysis
- Lumbar Puncture
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
- Median Nerve Conduction Studies
- Mep (MOTOR EVOKED POTENTIALS)
- Muscle Injection
- Nerve Block
- Neuromuscular Reeducation For Muscle Control
- Percutaneous Kyphoplasty
- Seizure Treatment
- Sphenopalatine Ganglion Blocks
- Spinal Cord Stimulation
- Trigger Point Injection
- Vagus Nerve Stimulation
Insurance
MedStar Health accepts most major health insurance plans. If you are uncertain as to whether your individual health insurance plan is accepted at MedStar Health, please call your insurance company.
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List of insurance plans we accept
- MedStar Family Choice - Maryland Health Choice
- United Healthcare Navigate Cardiac Global
- Priority Partners - Maryland Health Choice
- Erickson Advantage Plans
- CIGNA HMO Open Access
- CIGNA Connect EPO
- OA Plus
- IH-Open EPO Plus
- MedStar Family Choice DC Healthy Families
- CIGNA POS/Network POS
- Cigna TotalCare (HMO D-SNP)
- CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield Advantage Core/Enhanced
- Optimum Choice Preferred (POS)
- Aetna Elect Choice/ Open Access (POS)
- IH-Open Network Only Plus
- Kaiser Permanente Medicare Plus
- M.D. IPA (HMO)
- United Healthcare Choice Plus
- United HealthCare Community Plan - Maryland Health Choice Program
- Choice POS
- IH-POS Plus
- Anthem BCBS of VA Key Care POS/PPO/Indemnity
- CareFirst Blue Preferred PPO
- Cigna Achieve Medicare (HMO C-SNP)
- HighMark
- Aetna Classic 5000PD
- Aetna HMO
- Coventry Health Care National Network PPO
- CareFirst Blue Card Program
- IH-POS
- United Healthcare Choice
- IH-EPO Plus
- CareFirst Administrators
- United Medicare Private Fee-for-Service (PFFS) plans
- IH-Open HMO Option
- Advantra Platinum (PPO)
- Aetna Advantage 5750
- Jai Medical Systems - Maryland Health Choice
- IH-Open HMO
- Aetna Managed Choice (POS)
- First Health PPO
- Select HMO/HealthFund/Health Network
- TRICARE for Life East
- Aetna HMO-Open Access/Select OA/HealthFund/Health Network Option OA
- Anthem BCBS of VA HealthKeepers (POS & POS OA)
- Humana Gold Plus HMO
- HUMANA/Choice Care Medicare Plans (Choice, Gold Choice)
- BCBS of Michigan (BCN Advantage,Security Blue, Freedom, Medicare PLUS Blue Group PPO)
- Employee Health Plan
- TRICARE East Select
- CIGNA Indemnity
- CareFirst Group Medicare Advantage
- UnitedHealthcare Individual Exchange Plans
- Mamsi Life & Health (Indem./PPO) Cardiac Global
- Aetna Classic 3500
- CareFirst Maryland Indemnity or PPO
- Aetna Student Health Insurance
- CareFirst Federal Employee Program (Std. & Basic PPO)
- Aetna Quality Point of Service (POS)
- CareFirst MedStar PPO
- Health Services for Children with Special Needs
- Private Fee-for-Service Plans (PFFS)
- United Student Resources
- CareFirst Group Medicare Advantage prescription drug benefit (PPO)
- Medicare Direct
- Healthy Blue (HMO, POS)
- Kaiser Permanente Select
- Police and Fire Clinic
- Navigate
- Aetna Better Health of VA
- CareFirst Blue Choice Opt Out Plus Open Access (POS)
- Coventry of Delaware HMO/PPO
- Geisinger Medicare Advantage
- Cigna True Choice Medicare (PPO)
- Network OA
- Lasso Healthcare - Medicare Medical Savings Account
- NYC Medicare Advantage Plus
- Aetna Medicare Advantage HMO & PPO Plans
- CareFirst BlueChoice HMO
- CareFirst FEP Blue Focus
- Kaiser Maryland Medicaid MCO
- Kaiser Permanente HMO Plus and DHMO Plus Member
- HealthyBlue PPO
- Beech Street PPO
- Anthem BCBS Medi Blue Dual Adv
- Johns Hopkins Advantage MD HMO
- United Healthcare Select Plus (POS)
- TRICARE East Prime
- Aetna Elect Choice/ EPO (Aetna Health Fund)
- TriWest Healthcare Alliance
- Anthem Federal Employee Program Basic
- Blue Choice Advantage
- Johns Hopkins Advantage MD PPO
- Kaiser Permanente Flexible Choice POS Cardiac Global
- Uniformed Services Family Health Plan
- Alterwood Advanatge HMO & DSNP Plans
- CIGNA HMO & Network (HMO)
- Aetna Managed Choice Open Access (POS)
- UHC Passport
- Humana Medicare Advantage - PPO
- Anthem BCBS of VA HealthKeepers Plus
- First Health PPO
- Choice Care Network/HUMANA (PPO)
- Sentara Health
- UnitedHealthcare Medicare Adv. Special Needs Plans
- UHC Group Medicare Advantage Plans (HMO, POS, PPO)
- Kaiser Permanente Medicare Advantage Signature and Select
- BCBS Out-of-State Medicare Plans (Blue Advantage)
- CIGNA EPO
- Kaiser Permanente Signature
- HumanaChoice Honor's plan PPO
- OCI Direct (HMO)
- Choice POS II Open Access
- IH-Open POS II
- IH-Indemnity
- Anthem Federal Employee Program Standard
- Aetna Better Health of MD
- CareFirst Dual Prime HMO-SNP
- CIGNA PPO Plus
- Maryland Physicians Care MCO
- WellPoint Maryland - Maryland Health Choice
- MD IPA (HMO) & MD IPA Preferred Cardiac Global
- Tricare Reserve Select
- Aetna Medicare Advantage PFFS Plan
- Cigna True Choice Plus Medicare (PPO)
- United Healthcare Select HMO - EPO/NPP
- AmeriHealth Caritas DC Healthcare Alliance
- Mamsi Life & Health (Indem./PPO)
- Aetna Worker's Compensation Network
- United Healthcare Community Plan - VA Medicaid MCO
- Choice POS II
- IH-Open POS Plus
- Aetna Open Choice (PPO)
- Aetna Signature Administrator PPO/TPA
- CIGNA SureFit (HMO)
- Medicare Advantage - Advantra Value (PPO)
- Amerigroup DC Healthy Families
- CareFirst Blue Choice Opt Out Open Access
- Johns Hopkins Advantage MD PLUS PPO
- United Healthcare Select HMO-EPO/NPP Cardiac Global
- Amerigroup DC Alliance
- Aetna VA Exchange
- Anthem BCBS Medi Blue Plus
- Aetna Classic 5000
- Kaiser Permanente Signature - Added Choice
- UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage DSNP District of Columbia
- CareFirst Maryland Point of Service Plan
- Magellan Complete Care of VA - VA Medicaid MCO
- Aetna Advantage 6350PD
- BlueChoice Open Access
- Cigna Alliance Medicare (HMO)
- CareFirst EPO
- Private Health Care Systems (PPO)
- IH-HMO
- HumanaChoice PPO
- Cigna Preferred Medicare (HMO)
- Core Essential (HMO)
- Veterans Affairs Community Care Network
- Aetna Premier 200PD
- MultiPlan, Inc
- Aetna Basic
- DC/MD SHOP QHP Small Business Plans
- Choice Fund PPO
- POS OA
- Kaiser Permanente Select - Added Choice
- Medicare FFS
- Optimum Choice
- IH-Network Only Plus
- AMERIVANTAGE/Amerigroup Community Care
- Anthem BCBS of VA HealthKeepers (HMO)
- Kaiser Permanente Flexible Choice 3-tier POS
- Humana Medicare Advantage - HMO Open Access
- Aetna Traditional Choice (PPO)
- Kaiser Permanente Select Cardiac Global
- Optimum Choice & Optimum Choice Preferred (POS) Cardiac Global
- MedStar Family Choice DC Healthcare Alliance
- United Healthcare Options (PPO)
- CIGNA PPO
- Anthem BCBS Medi Blue SNP
- CareFirst NASCO
- AmeriHealth Caritas DC Healthy Families
- Coventry Health Care of Virginia
- UnitedHealthcare and AARP Medicare Complete Plans
- Kaiser Permaenete Signature - Added Choice Cardiac Global
- Optima Family Care MCO - VA Medicaid MCO
- United Healthcare Choice Cardiac Global
- Great-West Healthcare POS/CIGNA
- CareFirst MedStar Select PPO
- Options PPO Cardiac Global
- United Healthcare Choice Plus Cardiac Global
- Aetna Advantage 6350
- M.D. IPA Preferred (POS)
- Fee-for-Service (FFS) District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia Medicaid
- CareFirst (NCA) Indemnity
- IH-PPO
- CareFirst Community Health Plan of MD
Videos
Education
Board Certification: American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, Psychiatry and Neurology
Board Certification: United Council for Neurologic Subspecialties, Neurology
Fellowship: Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals (2013)
Residency: MedStar Georgetown University Hospital (2012)
Internship: McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University (2009)
Medical School: Indiana University School of Medicine-Indianapolis (2008)
Awards
- Emerging Leaders Program, American Headache Society
Hospital affiliations
News and publications
Dr. Dougherty's Publications/Presentations
- Primary Headache Disorders. Neurology for the Non-Neurologist 17th Edition. Lewis SL. Berkowitz AL. Wolters Kluwer, 2025
- More than a Headache: Addressing Migraine in Women’s Lives; Inaugural Women’s Health Summit, Washington DC, May 2025
- Perimenstrual Migraine, Scottsdale Headache Symposium, Scottsdale, AZ, November 2024
- Managing Migraine in Pregnancy, AHS Scottsdale Headache Symposium, Scottsdale, AZ, November 2023
- Headaches Not to Miss Regardless of the Patient Population: Thunderclap Headache in the Emergency Department. Practical Neurology, 2023