Edith Rood, CEO of Rood Research, Inc., started her health care career many years ago as an abstracter at the Royal Society of Medicine in London, England and, in one way or another, has been involved in health care ever since. Her next position was at J. Walter Thompson in London, tracking the newly emerging - then controversial - link between smoking and lung cancer. One thing led to another and she found herself living in New York and working as a health care analyst for Stewart, Dougall Associates - one of the first market research firms. For the next ten years she retired to raise two daughters (which gave her hands-on experience in pediatrics, first aid, conflict resolution and crisis management). When she rejoined the work force she established the Healthcare Information Center at FIND/SVP, and was appointed Director of the Quick Consulting Service. She then moved to the other end of the research spectrum by doing a stint at P.A. Consulting.

Edith established Rood Research fourteen years ago and still enjoys running this growing company, which specializes in quick turnaround, yet in-depth, primary market research.

Gianfranco Negroponte, PhD
Vice President, Operations
Project Manager

Before becoming Director of Marketing in 2003, Gianfranco managed research projects in virtually all specialty areas covered by Rood Research but focused on CNS. He also developed Rood’s Internet services and especially TwinTrack, a unique merger of telephone and Internet methodologies, which was his concept. He is Rood’s in-house statistical expert.

Gianfranco holds a PhD in Physics from the University of California at Berkeley, where he focused on astrophysics and cosmology. He subsequently held post-doctoral research fellowships at the University of Cambridge, the University of London, L’Università degli Studi, Bologna and the University of Sydney. Gianfranco speaks fluent Italian.

Graeme Christianson, BSE
Vice President, Research
Project Manager

Graeme’s areas of specialization include genomics, diagnostics, surgery and biotechnology. Graeme is the most experienced member of the research team and has managed projects across a wide spectrum of disease states and industry areas. In the past year, Graeme has managed, among others, studies on computer-assisted and robotic surgical equipment, novel devices for laparoscopic abdominal surgery, generic formulations of hypertension drugs, updated labeling for migraine therapies, novel products for urinary incontinence, and recent advances in treatments for psoriasis.

Graeme holds a BSE degree in Chemical Engineering from Princeton University, where he focused on bioengineering and environmental engineering. His independent research projects included designing a bioreactor to harvest autologous dermal skin tissue for burn victims and collecting and analyzing organic aerosol samples from the upper troposphere.

Before joining Rood Research in 2002, Graeme lectured at Ngee Ann Polytechnic in Singapore, where he was an International Fellow in the School of Life Sciences and Chemical Technology. He is a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

Michael Suh, BS
Director of Research
Project Manager

Michael’s areas of specialization include Pulmonology and Devices/Technologies, and he has recently worked on several large studies in the areas of Diagnostic Imaging and Aesthetic Energy Devices.

Michael holds a B.S. in Chemistry with medical training from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. In addition to more than 10 years experience in data analysis, scientific study design and research project management, he also has experience in financial analysis, asset valuation, and securities exchange as a NYSE proprietary trader. He applies these areas of expertise to our market research projects to provide insight into the business objectives of our clients.

Since joining Rood Research, Michael has completed several projects on the ocular inflammation and rheumatoid arthritis therapeutic areas in addition to projects in his areas of specialization. Michael has also designed and managed many projects utilizing adaptive conjoint methodologies to obtain attribute importance and simulated market share data for new products.

Vanessa Guzman, MS
Director of Recruiting
Senior Consultant

Vanessa graduated from Columbia University, earning a M.S. in Biomedical Engineering with a concentration in Diagnostic Imaging. Prior to joining Rood Research, she focused in Biomedical Imaging and Informatics at Medicexchange, a London based radiology web-portal Company, where she directed the business deployment of pharmaceutical and radiology device companies in the U.S. Her involvement in the IT Healthcare field started while she managed information resources for patient care and research at SynaMed and Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, with aspects focusing on Clinical Data Repository, Medical Entities Dictionary, Web-based Clinical Information Systems and Clinical Information System Architecture.

In addition, having a natural passion for medicine, she was also part of the Emergency Medical System for the New York City Fire Department. Today, she continues to conduct independent research on new biomedical datasets prototypes, databases and software tools that will benefit cancer research organizations, specifically in third world countries.

Dennis Trammell, BA
Director of Global Research
Project Manager

Dennis's areas of specialization include Gastroenterology, Ophthalmology, and Pediatrics. Before joining Rood Research, Dennis worked in retail pharmacy as a certified senior pharmacy technician. There he acquired a broad understanding of the American healthcare sector and a unique perspective on marketplace challenges. Dennis has worked with patients, doctors, and insurance providers in English, French, Spanish, and Korean.

Dennis graduated with a BA in French Culture and Language from Rutgers University. While obtaining his degree, Dennis lived and studied in France, where he mastered the French language and gained an in-depth understanding of European cultures and medical systems.

Simone Porter, BS, BA
Senior Consultant
New Business Development
Project Manager

Simone graduated from the University of Arizona with a B.S. in Physiological Sciences and a B.A. in Spanish. While completing her undergraduate studies, Simone worked in the ER at the University of Arizona Medical Center and Tucson General Hospital. She also lived and studied in Spain, where she gained fluency in conversational and medical Spanish.

After completing her undergraduate education, Simone worked as a Critical Care Partner in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. She also worked as an administrator and advocate at UCLA’s Rape Treatment Center, a model facility that prides itself on leading the nation in the education and treatment of rape victims, as well as the prosecution of sexual offenders.

Prior to joining Rood, Simone worked as a medical transcriptionist at various hospitals in Los Angeles. Her areas of specialization at Rood include Women’s Health and Emergency Medicine.

Francisco Baiocchi, BA, BS
Senior Consultant
Project Manager

Francisco graduated from the State University of New York at Buffalo with degrees in Biochemical Pharmacology and Comparative Political Science. Throughout his academic career, Francisco remained devoted to both the natural and social sciences, so he acquired a multi-faceted outlook which he has put to good use at Rood Research. In addition, he was exposed to a wide variety of experiences in research methodologies and project design, as well as graduate-level editing.

As a Research Assistant for the Department of Pharmacology, Francisco helped model human neuropathies in the fruit fly genome. During his studies, he also served as the Executive Secretary to the student body government and as a volunteer E.M.T. Before joining Rood Research, Francisco worked in consumer market research for three years.

His areas of specialization at Rood are Managed Care and Metabolic Disorders.

Jemma Lampkin, BA
Senior Consultant
Project Manager

Jemma graduated magna cum laude from Columbia University with a B.A. in Psychology. As an undergraduate, Jemma studied the use of yoga and holistic medicine to treat substance abuse and opiate addiction. She also interned as a counselor at the Mental Health Association of Rockland County’s Bernstein House, which provides psychiatric care to adults with mental illnesses. Moreover, Jemma has extensive experience in the Psychology of Learning laboratory at Barnard College, where she was an undergraduate teaching assistant. Jemma maintains a strong interest in neuroethics and bioethics and was a co-editor for Columbia University’s Journal of Bioethics in 2005.

Prior to joining the Rood team, Jemma worked as a research assistant for Dr. Faith Florer, studying the effects of text polarity, character size and age on comprehension and memory when reading on a computer versus on paper. Her abstracts have been accepted for publication four times in the Journal of Vision and for presentation through the Vision Sciences Society, and one abstract was accepted for presentation through the Association for Psychological Science in 2008. Jemma is also a certified yoga instructor and has taught yoga in substance abuse treatment units and psychiatric hospitals.

Jemma’s areas of specialization are Psychiatry and Cardiovascular Diseases.

Tameika McLean, BA
Senior Consultant
Project Manager

Tameika is a graduate of Williams College where she earned a B.A. in Psychology and a B.A. in Women’s and Gender Studies. As an undergraduate, Tameika assisted in the design and completion of several research projects regarding stereotype threat and discrimination during her tenure as a Research Assistant for the Department of Psychology.

Tameika also served as a co-coordinator of Peer Health, the student-run health organization. As a co-coordinator, she trained others as peer educators, served as a liaison between the student body and the college administration, and continued to offer guidance, support, and information to students regarding their health concerns.
Tameika is proficient in Spanish and her areas of specialization are Dermatology and Infectious Diseases.

Jay Scouten, BA, MS, MBA
Senior Consultant
Project Manager

Jay holds an MBA and an MS in Medical Science from the University of Toledo/Medical University of Ohio, and he also has a BS in Philosophy and a BS in Chemistry from Wittenberg University. Jay says that his Philosophy and Chemistry degrees might be considered disparate, but in fact they are comfortably related by their analytical nature: one field deals with the relationships between molecules, the other with the relationship between ideas.

Jay has worked with non-profit ventures in Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic, and has published in industry journals, written book chapters relating to deviance in the family business, and given presentations at conferences in Ohio and Kentucky. He is also fluent in Spanish.

Jay's areas of specialization are HIV and oncology.

Steven Schmidt, BS
Senior Consultant
Project Manager

Steve is a recent graduate of the nationally renowned marine science program at the University of South Carolina. While earning his B.S. with a concentration in biology, Steve participated in multiple research projects concerned with the effects of increased industrialization on marine life along the Atlantic shoreline. Steve has a passion for medicine which motivated him to lead an intensive independent study of marine pharmaceuticals. Steve is a certified youth counselor and peer educator for HIV/AIDS prevention with Youth Empowered Against HIV.

Steve's areas of specialization at Rood are Pain Management and Pediatrics.

Hannah Slater, BA, MPH
Senior Consultant
Project Manager

Hannah holds an MPH in Health Law, Human Rights, and Bioethics from Boston University, and she also has a BA in Women’s Studies from Smith College. While earning her MPH, Hannah learned that although health law embodies enduring principles of justice, it is not a static set of rules but evolves in response to new research and new challenges. Hannah discovered this dynamic process through a variety of clinical and academic research on such diverse topics as genetic testing, patient privacy laws, tobacco control, managed care and biomedical research.

Prior to joining Rood Hannah spent time in Cape Town, South Africa, where she participated in hospital rotations encompassing Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Trauma/Emergency Department, Orthopedic Surgery and HIV counseling. She has also completed additional coursework in the sciences as well as receiving EMT training where she learned all aspects of pre-hospital emergency care for injuries and illnesses.

Hannah’s areas of specialization are Dentristy, Orthodontics, and Critical Care.

Rachel Smull, BS
Senior Consultant
Project Manager

Rachel graduated from The Pennsylvania State University with a BS in Biobehavioral Health and a minor in Psychology. As an undergraduate, Rachel studied how maternal behavior in rats influences the personality of offspring and how personality then affects life span. She also interned at the National Mental Health Association, where she worked on an educational toolkit to inform key stakeholders about the challenges faced in treating patients with co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders.

Before joining Rood Research, Rachel was a Clinical Research Coordinator at the Renal Research Institute, where she worked directly with patients, physicians, and administrators on the NIH-funded Frequent Hemodialysis Network: Daily Trial study. Rachel has also worked as a counselor for KidsPeace, where she assisted in the treatment and daily activities of adolescent sex offenders enrolled in a residential program.

Rachel’s areas of specialization include Nephrology and Allergy/Immunology.