About The Rome Foundation
The Rome Foundation is dedicated to advancing research, education, and advocacy for gastrointestinal and motility disorders through innovation and collaboration.
The Rome Foundation
The Rome Foundation is an independent not for profit 501(c) 3 organization whose mission is to improve the lives of people with Disorders of Gut Brain Interactions (DGBIs) through excellence in clinical care, education, and research. We aspire to be the global leader in finding a cure for all disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBI), while enacting our core values of being dynamic, innovative, interdisciplinary, evidence-based, and patient-centered. We value integrity and maintaining a global vision.
For centuries, disorders of the intestinal tract have been recognized as common and often disruptive, including causing pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, and difficulty with digestion or excretion. When these symptoms interfere with daily life, individuals seek medical care. Yet, when no structural or biochemical abnormalities are found, patients are often diagnosed with a functional gastrointestinal disorder (FGID) or told that “nothing is wrong.”
The Rome Foundation has worked for over 25 years to change this narrative. By bringing together leading scientists and clinicians from around the world, the Foundation has advanced the understanding of gastrointestinal function and dysfunction, particularly the complex interactions between the gut and brain.
Strategic Priorities 2026
The Rome Foundation Board of Directors is an international group of experts in disorders of gut-brain interaction. Each Director spearheads activities of the Rome Foundation and its professional communities (Sections) in conjunction with other key opinion leaders from around the world.
In July 2025, the Board of Directors met to generate an updated strategic vision within each of our domains of excellence.
The goals of the Rome Foundation
Clinical Excellence
- Increase visibility of the Rome Foundation and its Mission, Vision and Values to new Stakeholders
- Reconnect with our existing stakeholders, sponsors and partners; what do we care about as a community?
- Rome V Clinical Criteria and Diagnostic Algorithms is launching Spring 2026
- Rome V marks a new era in the classification of Disorders of Gut-Brain Interaction (DGBI). This updated framework reflects the latest science and a more compassionate, patient-centered approach to diagnosis and treatment.
- Continue to combat stigma by increasing lay and professional understanding of the gut-brain axis and disorders of gut-brain interaction.
Educational Excellence
- Leverage our robust Learning Management System to enhance access to personalized learning opportunities
- Engage wider range of professionals in educational programming
- Expanding our Rome Professional Communities (Sections)
- Diet and Nutrition
- Anorectal and Biofeedback
- Young Professionals
- GastroPsych
- Pediatric
- Expand educational offerings through continued translation of clinician and patient facing materials
Research Excellence
- Advance research partnerships, especially with respect to biobanking and patient phenotyping
- Seek out innovative uses of technology for enhanced collaboration across clinical and research projects worldwide
- Update Patient Reported Outcome Measurement tools to reflect current landscape of clinical research