Before she even collected her diploma, Madeira High School's Isabella Sammut had testified before the Ohio House Insurance Committee, lobbied federal lawmakers in Washington and seen her original artwork printed on the cover of a national scientific journal.
Sammut, a Class of 2026 graduate who has lived with chronic migraines since age 11, channeled years of pain into policy work and art that caught attention well beyond the eastern suburbs. Through the Alliance for Headache Disorders Advocacy, she met with members of Congress and pushed for the HEADACHE Act, a bill introduced in September 2025 by Rep. Lori Trahan (D-Mass.) that targets research funding and treatment access for headache disorders. The bill remains pending in the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Her testimony before the Ohio House Insurance Committee focused on insurance barriers that patients with headache disorders face when seeking treatment.
The art side of Sammut's story is just as concrete. A close-up portrait showing her hand pressed against her forehead now graces the cover of the May/June 2026 issue of Practical Neurology, a nationally recognized journal. That issue is titled "Headache: Addressing Patient Needs Beyond Treatment."
Madeira High School art teacher Jill Dulgeroff guided Sammut in creating pieces that reflected her experience with chronic migraines. Dulgeroff said in the school district's profile of Sammut that she "has truly found her voice, navigating the physical and emotional challenges of chronic migraines through her work."
The district published that profile on May 28 and also noted that the Madeira Schools Foundation named Sammut a John D. Rahe Scholar at its annual luncheon on May 8.
"I'm passionate about advocating for more research and better access to treatments in pediatrics," Sammut said in the district profile. "AHDA is why I chose to major in neuroscience on the pre-law track. I want to continue advocating for healthcare equity in America with scientific and legal expertise, in addition to my perspective as a patient."
Sammut will attend Loyola University Chicago in fall 2026 to pursue that neuroscience-pre-law combination.
The AHDA, founded in 2007, has notched policy wins including the inclusion of migraine in the U.S. Department of Education's 2024 Section 504 guidance. Its annual "Headache on the Hill" event brings hundreds of patients and providers to Capitol Hill each year.
Coming up in the villages:
- Indian Hill High School hosts Meet the Teacher Night on Tuesday, Aug. 25.
- Madeira City Schools' fall semester is underway following orientation on Aug. 12.
