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ABOUT

About Metrodora Institute

The mission of the Metrodora Institute is to advance care and accelerate cures for neuroimmune axis disorders. We have created the first integrated multidisciplinary clinic in the nation dedicated to treating these conditions. We have also built an innovation hub to collaborate with leading industry and academic partners to accelerate scientific discoveries and develop technologies that will lead to transformative breakthroughs in therapeutics and cures for people living with neuroimmune axis disorders.

The Metrodora model is truly a revolution in health care.

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A Vision for a New Kind of Healthcare

As clinicians and researchers, we are acutely aware of the impact that neuroimmune axis disorders have on patients and the healthcare system. Metrodora Institute was designed to improve the landscape of healthcare for both patients and providers. We have created an objective, results-driven, comprehensive, and dynamic model of care that is responsive to patient needs. We have also built a system where providers have clinical support and access to state-of-the-art equipment and resources to practice the collaborative medicine required to treat these complex conditions.

Learn more about the Metrodora patient experience

A Vision for a New Kind of Research

Neuroimmune axis disorders impact hundreds of millions of individuals worldwide. There is an urgent need to develop new diagnostic tools, therapeutics, and cures that will drive better care for these conditions. At the heart of our research strategy is the first high-density biobank and data repository focused on neuroimmune axis disorders. This resource allows us to collaborate, instead of competing, with leading scientists and engineers to make novel research insights and rapidly translate findings into the clinic to optimize patient care.

Learn more about our unique research model

Leadership Team

Our founders are world-renowned physicians, scientists, and tech leaders. Their combined expertise and experience position Metrodora Institute as a world leader in the space of neuroimmune axis disorders.

Fidji Simo

Laura A. Pace, MD, PhD

Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder Metrodora Institute

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Fidji Simo

James Hemp, PhD

Chief Scientific Officer and Co-Founder Metrodora Institute

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Fidji Simo

Fidji Simo

President and Co-Founder Metrodora Foundation

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Fidji Simo

Dr. Laura A. Pace is a Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Metrodora.

Laura is a Neurogastroenterologist with board certification from the American Board of Internal Medicine in both Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, and from the United Council of Neurologic Subspecialties in Autonomic Disorders. She has been a leader in the rare disease space for many years and for the past several years has served as the Co-Lead for the adult program for the University of Utah NIH Undiagnosed Diseases Network (NIH UDN) clinical site, Medical Board member for Dysautonomia International and Chair of the Gastrointestinal Working Group for the International Consortium on Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and Hypermobility Spectrum Disorders. Laura has a BS in Chemistry from Stony Brook University, a MD from the University of Illinois Chicago, and a PHD in Neuroscience from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She has advanced research training in the areas of neuroscience, microbial physiology, evolution, and genetics, as well as analytical chemistry, studying host-microbe interactions. Additionally, she has advanced clinical training in medical genetics. She has published over 80 peer reviewed journal articles and has received research funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and private foundations.

Fidji Simo

Dr. James Hemp is a Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Metrodora.

James is an interdisciplinary scientist with over 20 years of research experience spanning biology, chemistry, physics, genetics, and medicine. He has published over 40 peer reviewed journal articles and has received research funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Science Foundation (NSF), and several private foundations. James received a BS in Honors Physics from the University of Minnesota and a PhD in Biophysics and Computational Biology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He was a prestigious Agouron Postdoctoral Fellow while at Caltech.

Fidji Simo

Fidji Simo is a Co-Founder of Metrodora and President of the Metrodora Foundation.

She is Chief Executive Officer of Instacart and was previously the Head of Facebook App. She brings a wealth of expertise across business, technology, and advances in artificial intelligence that will position Metrodora as the most innovative research institute on such diseases. Fidji has been recognized by Fortune as part of their “40 under 40” annual ranking of most influential young people in business. She was also #2 on Fast Company’s 2017 list of Most Creative People in Business. Fidji was diagnosed with dysautonomia in 2020 and is committed to using her skills and large platform to cure these diseases.

Metabolic
Disorders


  • Cognitive Impairment
  • Chronic Fatigue
  • Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS)

Neurogastrointestinal
Disorders


  • Achalasia
  • Gastroparesis
  • Motility Disorders
  • “Functional” Gastrointestinal Disorders
  • Food Allergies
  • Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
  • Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

Autoimmune
Disorders


  • Sjogren's Syndrome
  • Systemic Sclerosis (Sclerodema)
  • Autoimmune Neuropathies

Pain
Disorders


  • Connective Tissue Disorders
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Headache/Migraine
  • Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)
  • Chronic Pain
  • Neuropathies
  • Endometriosis
  • Itch

Immunological
Disorders


  • Post-Infectious Disorders
  • Long-COVID
  • Mast Cell Disorders
  • Autoinflammatory Disorders
  • Connective Tissue Disorders

Neurological
Disorders


  • Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS)
  • Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI)/Concussion
  • Neuropathies
  • Neuroimmune Disorders
  • Vestibular Disorders