Johannah-Ruddy

Secretary / Treasurer

Mrs. Ruddy is the Executive Director of the Rome Foundation and serves on the Board of Directors of DrossmanCare, and is a Co-Facilitator for Teaching Communication Skills to Patients and Providers. Mrs. Ruddy has a BS in Political Science and an M.Ed. in Curriculum Development and 20 years of executive leadership experience working with a variety of nonprofit organizations nationwide. She has a strong background in grant writing, and is a speaker at GI practices, medical centers and conferences in the area of communication and patient advocacy. In this capacity she facilitates patient communication, education and advocacy programs within the Rome Foundation and DrossmanCare. 

As a patient, Mrs. Ruddy engages with clinicians and patients to help them understand the value of the patient-provider relationship to improve outcomes. Mrs. Ruddy authored a commentary about her health journey published in Gastroenterology (2018) which has received global attention. In 2019, she co-authored two additional articles with Douglas Drossman MD. The article in  Neurogastroenterology Latin America Review addressed specific methods to improve the patient-provider relationship.  The article in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology Journal offered the patient’s perspective in navigating the health care system, gender bias in health care and the challenges of living with a chronic illness. In addition to these publications, Mrs. Ruddy co-founded the #TuesdayNightIBS community on Twitter, offering a place for both clinicians and patients to meet and discuss cases, symptoms and treatments in a safe and encouraging space.