For nearly five decades, Dan C. Henry, Jr., MD, has cared for Utah families as a family physician. In 2026, the Utah Academy of Family Physicians named him Family Physician of the Year for his exceptional contributions to family medicine in Utah.

Dr. Henry earned his medical degree from the University of Washington and completed his family medicine residency at the University of Utah, where he served as chief resident. In 1978, he became a founding partner of Foothill Family Clinic in Salt Lake City. There, he practiced the full scope of family medicine—delivering babies, caring for children as they grew into adulthood, and often caring for their children and grandchildren. The lasting relationships he built with patients reflect the deep commitment and compassion at the heart of his work.

Dr. Henry’s work in headache medicine grew from his experience as a father. His youngest daughter, Danielle, began experiencing migraine at age eight. As her disease became more severe, he studied headache medicine in search of answers and treatments that might help her. Danielle was an honors student and two-sport varsity athlete, but migraine increasingly interfered with school and the activities she loved. Despite her family’s efforts to find effective care, Danielle died by suicide in 1999, just weeks before her 18th birthday.

After Danielle’s death, Dr. Henry committed himself to helping other patients and families find greater understanding, better treatment, and hope. He shifted much of his practice toward headache medicine, with a particular focus on children, adolescents, and young adults. A guiding principle of his work has been: “I never want another patient to hear, ‘I have nothing to offer you.’”

Dr. Henry has also worked to expand migraine education beyond his own practice. He has trained physicians and other primary care providers in Utah and across the country, including clinicians who have spent several weeks shadowing him in his clinic. He also helped develop and support The Migraine Toolbox, a free continuing education resource with practical tools for recognizing, diagnosing, and treating migraine. 

In 2016, Dr. Henry and his family established the Danielle Byron Henry Migraine Foundation in Danielle’s memory. The Foundation has grown from a local effort into a national nonprofit providing advocacy, education, and support for people living with migraine and their families. Dr. Henry serves as a medical reviewer for the Danielle Foundation’s educational articles, reviewing medical information for accuracy and clarity. His review helps ensure that readers receive reliable, evidence-informed information about migraine and its management.

For Dr. Henry, the work remains personal. “When I help a patient to know I understand their pain and can make it personal because of my experience with my daughter, it means I’m doing Danielle’s work. I’m just a vessel, but I see my daughter in so many of these young people whose lives are being so diminished by their pain. It breaks my heart, but I’m here to do something about it.”