Dori Schatell, MS

Executive Director

Dori brings a life-long interest in chronic disease, a passionate commitment to patient self-management, and 24 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 five editions of the Core Curriculum for the Dialysis Technician; evaluated CMS’s Dialysis Facility Compare website; and Chaired the Fistula First Marketing workgroup

She has a BA in Psychology and History of Medicine and an MS in Child & Family Studies, both from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Download Dori's CV

Kristi Klicko, CHES

Director of Operations

Kristi has more than 15 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.

Paula Stec Alt, MBA

Marketing Director

Paula has 20+ years of medical marketing and communications experience with advertising agencies and non-profit organizations, and has worked with MEI since its inception. She produced the Life Options Exercise Program, helped develop the Keys to a Long Life materials, and staffed the hemodialysis adequacy work group for the NKF-DOQI™.

She has a BS in Communications from the University of Illinois and an MBA in Marketing from Loyola University, Chicago.

Carol Pruess

Business Manager

Carol joined MEI in 2006 as the Business Manager. She has more than 27 years of varied accounting management and financial systems experience.

Carol has a BBA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Sharon Sahr

Office Manager

Sharon has been on the MEI team since 1993. She answers the phone, provides office and administrative support, and manages fulfillment.

Matt Bauer

Rails Programmer

Matt joined the MEI team in 2013. He has been working with web technologies since 1996 and with Ruby and Rails since 2005. Prior to joining MEI, Matt developed sites for many household name brands. As a web developer at MEI, Matt enjoys advocating for excellent user experiences. When he's not pushing pixels, Matt enjoys homebrewing, woodworking, and cross-country skiing.

Matt has a BS in Computer Science from the University of Iowa.

Shaun Martin

Web Designer & Developer

Shaun is a web designer and developer from De Pere, Wisconsin. Before joining the MEI team in 2013, he taught English in South Korea. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and keeping up with new trends in technology and design.

Shaun has an art degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and and Associate's degree in web design and development from Northeast Wisconsin Technical College, Green Bay.

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.

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.

Download Beth's CV

Brian Frick

Internet Technology Consultant

Brian works as an IT consultant for MEI, having worked for more than 20 years as an HTML, database, and web programmer. Currently he focuses on HTML and CSS standards, Section 508 website compliance, and ambient music.

Brian has a BS degree in Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.