Dori Schatell, MS
Executive Director
Dori brings a life-long interest in chronic disease, a passionate commitment to patient self-management, and
32
years in the renal industry to her role. An experienced medical writer/editor with more than 200 peer-reviewed articles, abstracts, booklets and books, fact sheets, and other pieces to her credit, she is also a national speaker and a policy advocate. She directs the Life Options program, Kidney School, and Home Dialysis Central; staffed the first DOQI Anemia Guideline; produced six editions of the
Core Curriculum for the Dialysis Technician.
She has a BA in Psychology and History of Medicine and an MS in Child & Family Studies, both from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Kristi Klicko
Director of Operations
Kristi has more than 20 years of MEI experience managing all facets of research, from IRB submissions to subject recruitment, data collection, and peer-reviewed journal articles.
She has a BS in Community Health Education from the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse.
Jenn Ravert
RN, Program Director
Jenn joined the MEI team as Program Director in 2022, after spending most of the previous decade as an RN specializing in home dialysis modalities in New York. She graduated from SUNY, Albany, in 2006 with a BA in fine art and art history, and enrolled in nursing school at SUNY Adirondack 2 years later. Jenn’s grandmother was on dialysis at the time, so she bought MEI’s Help! I Need Dialysis! book, read it several times, and fell in love with MEI and its mission to improve the lives of people with chronic illness. Jenn started her nursing career in acute dialysis, moved to in-center, and finally to home therapies, teaching PD and HHD on as many systems available to her. From the start, her colleagues noted her fierce advocacy for patients, dedication to quality of life, and penchant for education. She strived to treat each family as if they were part of her own, earning the affectionate nickname, “Jenn Jenn the RN.” When MEI offered her a dream job combining problem-solving, research, and passion, she hung up her stethoscope, bittersweet as it was, and followed the call.
Greg Cannon
Office Manager
Greg has been on the MEI team since 2022. He answers the phone, provides office and administrative support, and manages fulfillment.
Rob Poehnelt
Marketing Communications Manager
Rob Poehnelt joined the MEI team in 2014. He has more than ten years of non-profit management and communications experience. His professional interests include community outreach, social media, graphic design, and meeting planning. In his free time, Rob enjoys the outdoors and spending time with his family.
Rob has a BA in Public Relations from the University of Wisconsin – Madison.
Karen Honer
Program Support
Karen joined the MEI team in 1994, took time off to raise children, and returned part-time in 2008. She supports the KDQOL Complete, Home Dialysis Central, and MEI.
Karen has BS degrees in Psychology and History from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
Peter Klicko
Web Developer
Peter is a web developer from Verona, WI. He enjoys spending time with his family and catching up on the latest web trends.
Meg Wise, PhD
Research Consultant
Meg is an Associate Scientist at the Sonderegger Research Center and the Center for Health Enhancement Systems Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research focuses on how patients and families learn to cope with the medical, practical, and psychosocial challenges of chronic and life-threatening illness. Meg has worked with MEI on assessing Internet use among renal patients, disease self-management behaviors among people with CKD, the effects of providing patients with education materials, and on exploring how home dialysis affects patient and caregiver quality of life.
She holds a BA in Anthropology, an MLS in Library and Information Studies, and PhD in Adult Education & Lifespan Development, all from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Beth Witten, MSW, ACSW, LSCSW
Resource & Policy Associate
Beth has been a renal social worker since 1978. She has worked with the MEI team since 1993 as a contributing writer, researcher, technical consultant, and community outreach expert. She served on the workgroup that developed the NKF KDOQI™ Clinical Practice Guidelines for chronic kidney disease and on a Rehabilitation Services Administration workgroup that developed a national training manual for vocational rehabilitation counselors. In 2010, Beth received the CNSW Lifetime Achievement Award. Beth writes and presents on rehabilitation, health-related quality of life, and employment and kidney disease.
Beth Witten received her MSW from the University of Kansas.
...plus additional associates in medical writing, research, design, production, IT systems, and communications.