Board-certified in internal medicine and gastroenterology, Dr. Noemi Baffy joined Portland Gastroenterology Center in 2018 and was named President in 2024. That same year, she played a key role in launching Portland Gastro’s participation in clinical trials. Dr. Baffy is a Clinical Assistant Professor at Tufts University School of Medicine and serves as core faculty for Maine’s first gastroenterology fellowship at MaineHealth Maine Medical Center–Portland, which welcomed its inaugural fellows in 2025. Most recently, she was elected Governor for the State of Maine for the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG). Through her various leadership roles, Dr. Baffy is committed to mentoring and modeling excellence for the next generation of physicians and healthcare professionals.
Dr. Baffy graduated magna cum laude from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and earned a Master of Public Health degree from Drexel University. She received her medical degree from Semmelweis University in her native country, Hungary. Following medical school, she returned to Philadelphia to complete her internal medicine residency at Drexel University College of Medicine. She joined Portland Gastroenterology Center directly after completing her gastroenterology and hepatology fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona, where she was honored with the prestigious Hassan Loutfi, MD, Distinguished Fellow Award.
Dr. Baffy believes that a strong physician–patient relationship is the foundation of effective care and optimal outcomes. Her clinical interests include general gastroenterology, with particular focus on women’s health, pelvic floor disorders, and colorectal cancer screening and prevention. Outside of medicine, she enjoys traveling and exploring the outdoors with her husband and three children.
Dr. Calmet is board-certified in internal medicine, gastroenterology, and transplant hepatology. He received his medical degree from Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia in Lima, Peru. He completed his internal medicine training at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, FL, where he also served as chief medical resident. He remained at Jackson Memorial Hospital to complete both his Gastroenterology and Transplant Hepatology fellowships and received the Fellow of the Year award. He then completed his Advanced Endoscopy fellowship at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, MA.
He is a clinical assistant professor at Tufts University School of Medicine and is the author or co-author of numerous peer-reviewed publications. Dr. Calmet’s clinical interests include advanced liver disease, pancreaticobiliary disease, and advanced diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopy. In his free time, he enjoys exploring the outdoors with his wife and daughters, composing, playing music, and computer programming.
Dr. Goldman is board-certified in gastroenterology. He graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania. He received his medical degree at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine and then returned to Philadelphia for his residency in internal medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. Dr. Goldman completed his gastroenterology fellowship at Boston Medical Center, where he was recognized as the BMC Teaching Fellow of the Year.
Prior to joining Portland Gastroenterology Center, Dr. Goldman spent nine years as a partner and then as president of Gastroenterology Affiliates of Southeastern Massachusetts. His practice areas of interest include colon cancer prevention, inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, and management of upper GI disorders, including gastroesophageal reflux disease. In his free time, Dr. Goldman enjoys distance running, mountaineering, and traveling to remote areas of the world, including Ushuaia, Svalbard, and New Zealand.
Dr. Grunwald is board-certified in internal medicine, gastroenterology, and transplant hepatology. He graduated from Williams College and Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University. Dr. Grunwald completed his internal medicine training at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn, NY. He completed his fellowship in gastroenterology and hepatology at Maimonides Medical Center, also located in Brooklyn, NY. He went on to complete an Advanced Fellowship in Transplant Hepatology at NYU Langone Medical Center. Dr. Grunwald practices general gastroenterology and hepatology with a special clinical interest in advanced liver disease. In his free time, he enjoys skiing, traveling, and hiking with his wife and daughters.
Dr. Kennedy is a board-certified gastroenterologist. She graduated from Williams College and Tufts University School of Medicine. Dr. Kennedy completed her internal medicine internship and residency at the University of Colorado. She spent one year after residency as a clinical hospitalist in Littleton, Colorado. Then, she returned to training and completed a fellowship in gastroenterology and hepatology at the University of Rochester Medical Center. She practices general gastroenterology and hepatology with a special clinical interest in inflammatory bowel disease. Dr. Kennedy is a clinical assistant professor at Tufts University School of Medicine and a member of the Maine Medical Center medical staff. She currently serves as the Medical Director for Portland Gastroenterology. In Dr. Kennedy’s free time, she enjoys the Maine outdoors any time of year with her husband and two children.
Dr. Mayes is board-certified in internal medicine and gastroenterology. She is the first female gastroenterologist to serve the Portland area. Originally from Central America, her family settled in Maine in her youth, and she graduated from Yarmouth High School. She was a Rochester Early Medical Scholar (REMS), a highly selective eight-year BA/BS-MD program at the University of Rochester in New York. After completing a degree in mathematics, she received her medical degree from the University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry. She completed her residency and a fellowship in gastroenterology and hepatology at the University of Rochester Medical Center. During her training, Dr. Mayes received the Marvin J. Hoffman Award in Clinical Research and the Raphael Dolin Resident Research Award.
Dr. Mayes’s areas of special interest include inflammatory bowel disease, celiac disease, and autoimmune liver disease. She is a clinical assistant professor at Tufts University School of Medicine and a member of the Maine Medical Center medical staff.
Dr. Millspaugh has been with Portland Gastroenterology since he completed medical school and his GI fellowship at Columbia University in 2002. He enjoys many aspects of gastroenterology, including caring for patients experiencing problems with heartburn or Barrett’s esophagus, disorders of the pancreas, or inflammatory bowel diseases. Dr. Millspaugh is skilled in performing endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), endoscopic treatment of complex cases of Barrett’s esophagus (EMR or radiofrequency ablation), removal of difficult colon polyps, and general endoscopy and colonoscopy. He is also an avid outdoor sports enthusiast, and living in Maine provides many opportunities for activities, including biking, sea kayaking, and skiing – but his hands-down favorite activity is taking his dogs for a walk.
Dr. Morse is board-certified in internal medicine and gastroenterology. He graduated cum laude from Harvard University and subsequently served a Shaw Fellowship at Harvard. He graduated from Tufts University School of Medicine and served a Kellogg Fellowship at the Harvard School of Public Health. Dr. Morse completed his residency at the University of Virginia Hospital and a fellowship in gastroenterology and hepatology at the University of Michigan Medical Center. Before joining Portland Gastroenterology Center, he was a member of the academic faculty of the University of Virginia Health Sciences Center, where he developed special expertise in nutritional deficiencies as well as the delivery of enteral and parenteral nutrition.
Dr. Morse is the author of numerous publications. His extensive scientific activities include Crohn’s disease studies, colorectal cancer investigation, and gastroenterological drug studies. Dr. Morse’s areas of special interest include celiac disease, GI bleeding/obscure anemia, hereditary colon polyp/cancer syndromes, TPN, and enteral nutrition/feeding tube placement. He is the director of the Maine Medical Center Adult Inpatient Nutrition Support Team. Dr. Morse is a clinical associate professor at Tufts University School of Medicine and a member of the Maine Medical Center medical staff.
Dr. Pizzo is board-certified in internal medicine and gastroenterology. She graduated from Bowdoin College and then completed medical school at Tufts University School of Medicine, where she was a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. Dr. Pizzo completed her internal medicine internship and residency at the University of Virginia Health System and her gastroenterology fellowship at Lahey Clinic and Medical Center. She practices general gastroenterology and hepatology with a clinical interest in liver disease. Dr. Pizzo is a clinical assistant professor at Tufts University School of Medicine and a member of the Maine Medical Center medical staff. In her free time, Dr. Pizzo enjoys hiking, skiing, and sailing with her family.
Dr. Potter is board-certified in internal medicine and gastroenterology. He graduated from Dartmouth College and Dartmouth Medical School. He was the recipient of the Lenna W. Perry Foundation Scholarship, a four-year, full-tuition scholarship awarded annually to a New Hampshire medical student. He completed his internal medicine residency at Maine Medical Center and his gastroenterology fellowship at the Lahey Clinic. Before joining Portland Gastroenterology Center, Dr. Potter practiced at Gastroenterology Associates of Eastern Maine.
Dr. Potter’s areas of special interest include colon cancer prevention, Barrett’s esophagus/GERD, celiac disease, irritable bowel syndrome, and inflammatory bowel disease. He is a clinical assistant professor at Tufts University School of Medicine and a member of the Maine Medical Center medical staff.
Dr. Rolshud is board-certified in gastroenterology. After graduating summa cum laude from Hunter College, he received his medical degree from Mount Sinai School of Medicine and served his residency at Boston Medical Center. Dr. Rolshud completed a Gastroenterology Fellowship Program at Johns Hopkins University and an Advanced Endoscopy Fellowship Program at Columbia University.
His areas of special interest are pancreaticobiliary medicine and the application of advanced diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopy, including ERCP (a procedure for the examination or treatment of the bile ducts and pancreatic ducts that combines the use of X-rays and an endoscope), endoscopic ultrasound, deep enteroscopy, endoscopic mucosal resection, and radiofrequency ablation.
Dr. Rutherford is board-certified in internal medicine and gastroenterology. She grew up in Southern Maine and is happy to return to work in the area. Dr. Rutherford attended Dartmouth College, where she graduated cum laude with a degree in religion and premedical studies. She received her medical degree from the University of Michigan and then completed her internal medicine training at the University of Virginia Health System. Dr. Rutherford returned to Dartmouth Hitchcock Hospital for her gastroenterology and hepatology fellowship. During her residency and fellowship, Dr. Rutherford focused on global health. She traveled extensively in Rwanda and Uganda, teaching physicians and helping advance the practice of gastroenterology. Dr. Rutherford practices general gastroenterology and hepatology with a specific interest in colon cancer prevention and inflammatory bowel disease.
Dr. Stefan is board-certified in internal medicine and gastroenterology. He graduated summa cum laude from St. Olaf College and was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society. He received his medical degree from the University of Minnesota Medical School, where he was awarded a four-year scholarship. In medical school, Dr. Stefan received the Richard C. Horns Award for clinical excellence and was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. He completed his residency at Harvard University’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital and served a fellowship in gastroenterology at Boston University Medical Center. Dr. Stefan completed a program in clinical effectiveness at Harvard School of Public Health and went on to finish an additional year of fellowship training in therapeutic endoscopy at the University of Toronto.
Before joining Portland Gastroenterology Center, he was in practice in Portland, Oregon, in the Division of Gastroenterology at The Oregon Clinic. Dr. Stefan is an assistant clinical professor at Tufts University School of Medicine and is the author or co-author of numerous publications. His areas of special interest include pancreaticobiliary disease and advanced endoscopy/ERCP and he is the Director of Endoscopy at Maine Medical Center. He is a member of the Maine Medical Center medical staff and was given an outstanding teaching award by the Maine Medical Center internal medicine residents. In Dr. Stefan’s free time, he enjoys cycling and cross-country skiing.
Dr. Vecchio is board-certified in internal medicine and gastroenterology. He graduated from Albany Medical College in Upstate New York and completed his internal medicine residency at Brown University in Providence, RI. He completed his gastroenterology and hepatology fellowship at University of Connecticut Health located in Farmington, CT. He went on to complete an Advanced Endoscopy Fellowship at University of Wisconsin Health in Madison, WI.
Dr. Vecchio is skilled in diagnostic and therapeutic general gastroenterology including upper endoscopy and colonoscopy. Dr. Vecchio specializes in the treatment of pancreatic and biliary diseases, endoscopic mucosal resection and ablation, diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopic ultrasound, endoscopic luminal and lumen-apposing metal stenting as well as endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). Dr. Vecchio is a clinical assistant professor at Tufts University School of Medicine. In his free time, he enjoys snowboarding, kiteboarding, gardening, cooking and hiking with his wife and twin daughters.
Family Nurse Practitioners
Melanie Connors is a board certified nurse practitioner who spent several years in the biotech industry before returning to earn her nursing degree. After several years in Family Practice, she transitioned to Portland Gastroenterology where she offers over 13yrs of experience in gastroenterology . She enjoys the diversity of conditions that gastroenterology encompasses and through careful listening, curiosity and empathy, she enjoys working with patients to meet their health goals. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, skiing, gardening, feeding some birds and many more squirrels as a backyard birdwatcher, live music, reading and spending time at the beach with her family.
Vicki Cook is a board-certified family nurse practitioner committed to improving the lives of her patients and has been practicing since 2019. As an RN, she worked for numerous years in emergency medicine before returning to graduate studies, obtaining her Master of Science degree from Husson University. A member of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, Vicki obtained her undergraduate degree from the University of New England. She also holds a degree in Travel and Tourism Management from Champlain College. Her medical interests include irritable bowel disease and exploring food as medicine. When not working, Vicki enjoys cheering on New England sports teams, traveling, being outdoors, and spending time with her family and her dogs.
Bryan Hayes is a board-certified family nurse practitioner. He graduated from the University of New Hampshire in 2015 and has been practicing gastroenterology ever since. He enjoys the wide variety of disease processes that gastroenterology encompasses, as well as helping patients understand their disease. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family, exploring Maine, and reading nonfiction books.
Elizabeth Hessler is a board-certified family nurse practitioner. Prior to returning to her home state of Maine, Elizabeth earned her master’s degree with honors from the MGH Institute of Health Professions (IHP) and practiced in outpatient gastroenterology in Boston. She has specialty training in motility and functional GI disorders. Elizabeth is especially passionate about lifestyle and dietary management of disease and promotes patient understanding and empowerment as key elements of a successful treatment plan. While in her graduate studies, Elizabeth was inducted into the Sigma Theta Tau’s honor society. She is a guest lecturer in the nurse practitioner curriculum at the MGH IHP and is involved in their Center for Climate Change, Climate Health, and Justice. She spends much of her time hiking, skiing, exploring National Parks, and enjoying nature with family.
Tara Hieger is a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner. She graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania, where she also earned her Master of Science in Nursing. During her undergraduate studies, Tara was elected to the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing. Originally from Kennebunk, Tara is happy to return to Maine after studying out of state. Tara brings more than 25 years of experience as a Nurse Practitioner; most of those years have been spent practicing Gastroenterology. Her medical interests include Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Liver Disease. Tara has received special training in performing and interpreting video capsule endoscopy. She is the first Advanced Practice Provider to be appointed as a board member for the Maine Gastroenterology Society, where she was recently elected as Treasurer for the MGS.
Tara has also been selected to take on the role of Lead Nurse Practitioner at Portland Gastroenterology Center. When not working, she enjoys traveling, cooking, hiking, skiing and spending time with her family.
LeeAnne Mather is a board-certified family nurse practitioner and Registered Dietitian with over 25 years of experience in healthcare. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Dietetics from Michigan State University before completing both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Nursing at Regis College.
With a career-long focus on nutrition and lifestyle as the cornerstones of wellness, LeeAnne found a natural fit in Gastroenterology where she has been practicing for the last 14 years. A firm advocate for shared decision-making, she works closely with her patients to navigate the complexities of digestive health.
LeeAnne enjoys running, trying new recipes, and time with her family.
Karrie Sweet is a board-certified family nurse practitioner and registered dietitian. She received her master of science degree in nursing at the University of Southern Maine and a master of science in human nutrition from Illinois State University. Karrie started her career in healthcare as a registered dietitian in 2002. Her clinical interests include eosinophilic esophagitis, inflammatory bowel, and cirrhosis management. She believes in shared decision-making to empower patients to manage their health conditions optimally. Karrie is a member of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners and Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, reading fiction novels, dancing, and spending time with her family.
