Tanya Murphy | Executive Director of the Rome Foundation
Tanya Murphy brings a wealth of expertise to the role of Executive Director of the Rome Foundation as an accomplished educator, director, and leader with a 30-year tenure within post-secondary education, spanning various domains. Her exceptional contributions to the field have been recognized through her inclusion in Who’s Who Among American Educators, as well as her receipt of the prestigious Education Award of Excellence.
Mrs. Murphy’s professional experience also encompasses a diverse background in non-profit fundraising, grant writing, program management, and financial management. She is highly skilled in running interdisciplinary teams, with a firm emphasis on data-driven outcomes. She brings her creativity and ability to forge strong relationships with faculty, staff, and industry professionals.
Mrs. Murphy holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education from Campbell University, North Carolina, and a Master of Arts degree in Education from the University of North Carolina.
Mrs. Murphy is married to Tom Murphy, and together they have four children. She is an accomplished flautist, and her musical endeavors as a performer and conductor have brought numerous accolades. In her free time, she is also an avid golfer and enjoys playing with her husband and as a member of the HWGA in Wake Forest, NC.
Makenna Moyer (PhD, MPH) | Managing Editor of Rome V
Makenna Moyer (PhD, MPH) has a background in anthropology and epidemiology, and a passion for IBS research and patient engagement. During her doctoral research at Penn State University, she conducted a large mixed-methods study exploring IBS from an evolutionary medicine perspective, assessing the role of behavioral and environmental changes across human evolution in IBS risk. She also has a background in public health project management, where she works with communities in Philadelphia to implement interventions addressing social determinants of health
Mauricio Rojas, MD MPH | Senior Medical Program Administrator
Dr. Rojas joined the Rome Foundation in 2022 and currently serves as the Senior Medical Program Administrator, overseeing projects and initiatives for the Foundation. He works directly with the CEO and COO and brings a unique perspective to our programming as a physician and former administrator. His expertise in working with physicians in Latin America helps the Foundation to expand our interests and programs in these countries.
Dr. Rojas received his M.D. degree at the Juan N Corpas School of Medicine in Bogota, Colombia ,where he also served as instructor of Anatomy and Physiology. He completed his residency in General and Vascular surgery at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio De Janeiro (PUC), Brazil and later, non-invasive vascular training at the University of Washington in Seattle. After working for several years as an attending vascular surgeon and head of the vascular diagnostics services at the Palermo Clinic and the Bogota Vascular Clinic (co-founder), his interest in research led him to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he served as Director of the Experimental Micro-Surgical Models Core and Assistant Research Professor for the Department of Medicine.
During his time at UNC, he obtained his Master’s degree in public health leadership at the UNC School of Public Health. Most recently, he worked in the medical device sector as Director of Medical Affairs for a CRO in Durham, NC.
Dr Rojas currently lives in Chapel Hill, NC with his wife, where he enjoys his passion for reading, music, and enjoying time with family and friends.
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.
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.
Tamieka Blair | Director of Educational Initiatives, and EA to the CEO
Claudia Rojas | Special Events and Senior Latin American Coordinator
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.
Eric Chapman
IT Director
Davis Stillson
Videographer
