As a neuroscientist, Dr. Schmidt brings a wealth of experience in biomedical research having contributed as an inventor, principal investigator, and statistician across diverse domains. Prior to joining Rho, he oversaw basic, translational, and clinical research on the central nervous system (CNS) in his role as Vice Dean at East Carolina University’s Brody School of Medicine. During his long tenure at the National Parkinson Foundation, Dr. Schmidt designed and led the largest clinical study of Parkinson’s disease ever conducted, from its first patient enrolled to 12,000 patients at 30 academic medical centers in five countries. His biomedical research expertise also includes cystic fibrosis and Huntington’s disease, and he was appointed Chairman of the non-profit Huntington’s Study Group in 2021. Dr. Schmidt’s expertise has been widely recognized and he has served on diverse commercial and non-profit boards, national and international committees, and scientific advisory boards..

With a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University, Dr. Schmidt has an M.S. and a Ph.D. from Cornell University’s Sibley School of Mechanical Engineering, where he studied gait and balance and total joint replacement. He completed a fellowship at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, holds two patents, and is the author of many peer-reviewed journals.