Administration

Mark Schmitter | Director of Marketing, Copyright & Licensing

Mr. Schmitter joined the Rome Foundation in 2015 and manages all of Rome Foundations marketing campaigns as well as Rome Foundation’s Licensing and Copyright work. Mr. Schmitter was previously in account management and served as a consultant to several high profile marketing agencies. His expertise has been in the strategic development, creation and implementation of marketing campaigns for various pharmaceutical products including those in gastroenterology, oncology, and other areas. Additionally, Mr. Schmitter serves as contact person for academicians and industry sponsors with regard to international translations, licensing and bulk order sales. Mr. Schmitter lives in NJ with his family.

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Debra E. Wideman | Director of Finance

Ms. Wideman joined the Rome Foundation in 2018 as the Finance Director and is critical in all aspects of finance for the organization, overseeing AP, AR and financial compliance. Ms. Wideman is a native of Huntington, New York and has over 23 years of experience in finance, having worked for Citibank (Citigroup) in NY, MD, and DC in the financial sector of the Bankcard Division. Ms. Wideman moved to the Charlotte area in 2005 and has a long history of community service and work in the nonprofit arena providing financial and administrative support. Ms. Wideman spends her free time volunteering with local charities, church organizations and enjoys spending time with family and friends.

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Michelle Berry | Director, Sales, Events and Exhibits

Ms. Berry is the Director of Sales, Exhibits and Education for the Rome Foundation and joined the Foundation in 2018. Ms. Berry works directly with the Executive Director and supports the work of the Rome V Committees as well as the Rome Foundation Board Members. Ms. Berry manages multiple projects, exhibits, educational programs and other events, in addition to overseeing sales and responding to customer questions. Ms. Berry has a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education from Meredith College and previously worked as a preschool teacher throughout the Raleigh area. She is thrilled to expand on her skills in team work, planning and organization while impacting the lives of patients. Ms. Berry lives in Wake Forest with her husband and son.

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Tamieka Blair | Director of Educational Initiatives, and EA to the CEO

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Olafur Palsson, PsyD | Data Director, Rome Foundation Research Institute

Dr. Palsson is responsible for the development, management and data analysis of RFRI projects. He is a Professor of Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is a clinical psychologist and GI researcher with 25 years of experience in research on Disorders of Gut-Brain Interaction. He has expertise in the psychosocial and epidemiological aspects of DGBIs, questionnaire development for health research, hypnosis treatment for GI disorders, and Internet computer programming for large-scale electronic collection of health information. He was co-chair of the Rome IV Questionnaire Development Committee, and is the principal developer and manager of the Internet-mediated Investigator Platform (RFRI-IP) that the RFRI uses to collect data across research sites.

Jóhann Páll Hreinsson | Rome Research Institute Project Coordinator

Dr Hreinsson is the Research Prroject Coordinator for the Rome Research Institute. He holds a medical degree from the National University Hospital of Iceland, graduating in 2014, In addition, he received his PhD the same year at the National University of Iceland. Dr. Hreinssin holds a Master in Applied Statistics in 2018 from the National University Hospital of Iceland. He currrently serves as a Specialist in Internal Medicine,  and is currently a post-doc and fellow in Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Carolyn Morris, MPH | Biostatistician, Rome Foundation Research Institute

Carolyn Morris earned a BA in Biology at the University of Pennsylvania in 1990, an MPH with a focus in Epidemiology from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in 1994, and an MPH with a focus in Biostatistics from the University of North Carolina in 2001.   She has since spent 20 years involved in clinical trials in both academia at the University of North Carolina and for private industry at IQVIA.  During this time, she has participated in all facets of clinical research, including  study design, questionnaire design, helping create the statistical analysis plan, data collection, database management,  and all stages of statistical analysis using a wide range of programming skills.  She currently lives in St. Louis MO with her husband.  She enjoys running, yoga, and cooking, and would solve crossword puzzles for a living (moonlighting with number and other word puzzles) if possible.

Tiffany Taft, PsyD, MIS | Associate Data Director, Rome Foundation Research Institute

Dr. Tiffany Taft joined the Rome Foundation Research Institute in 2023 to assist in the growing data management needs of the RFRI, working alongside Dr. Oli Palsson and the Executive Team. Dr. Taft has a stellar career in research and has published on topics related to the impact and burden of GI disease. Dr. Taft is a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in the psychological and social effects of chronic medical illness.. She previously worked as an associate professor and director of Psychogastroenterology research at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and is the founder of Oak Park Behavioral Medicine LLC, an independent private practice of psychologists, social workers, and counselors near Chicago. Dr. Taft lives in IL with her family.

Claudia Rojas
Latin American Coordinator

Eric Chapman
IT Director

Davis Stillson
Videographer