Physicians & Staff

Board-certified in internal medicine and gastroenterology, Dr. Baffy joined Portland Gastroenterology Center in 2018 and was named President in 2024. That same year, Dr. Baffy was integral in launching Portland Gastro’s participation in clinical trials, currently enrolling for a study treating adults with moderate to severe Crohn’s disease. Most recently, she was elected the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) Governor for the State of Maine. In her various leadership roles, she is very excited to model the way for the next generation of physicians and healthcare workers.

Dr. Baffy graduated magna cum laude from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and obtained a master's degree in public health from Drexel University. She then studied medicine in her native country, Hungary, at Semmelweis University. Following medical school, Dr. Baffy returned to Philadelphia for her internal medicine residency at Drexel University College of Medicine. She joined Portland Gastro directly from her gastroenterology and hepatology fellowship training at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona. During her training, Dr. Baffy received the prestigious Hassan Loutfi, MD, Distinguished Fellow Award.

Dr. Baffy believes in building a strong physician-patient relationship as the cornerstone of successful treatment plans and patient outcomes. Her clinical interests include general gastroenterology, with special interest in women’s health, pelvic floor dysfunction and colorectal cancer screening and prevention. She enjoys traveling and exploring the outdoors with her husband and three children.

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. Kennedy is board-certified in internal medicine and gastroenterology. She graduated from Williams College and Tufts University School of Medicine, both in Massachusetts. Dr. Kennedy completed her internal medicine internship and residency at the University of Colorado Hospital. 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 special clinical interests in inflammatory bowel disease and quality measures in colonoscopy. Dr. Kennedy is a member of the Maine Medical Center medical staff. In Dr. Kennedy's free time, she enjoys getting outside as much as she can to participate in a variety of activities, including hiking and skiing.

Dr. Kilby is board-certified in internal medicine and gastroenterology and has a special interest in the treatment of liver disease (hepatology). He received his undergraduate degree from Cornell University and his medical degree from Cornell University Medical College, where he was a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. He completed his residency in internal medicine at the University of Michigan and his fellowship in gastroenterology at the University of Vermont. Dr. Kilby is the medical director for hepatitis at Maine Medical Center's Gilman Clinic. He is a clinical assistant professor at Tufts University School of Medicine and a member of the Maine Medical Center medical staff.

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 internal medicine and 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. Rolshud is a clinical assistant professor at Tufts University School of Medicine and a member of the Maine Medical Center medical staff.

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. At Maine Medical Center, Dr. Stefan is chief of the Division of Gastroenterology as well as associate director of the Pancreaticobiliary Center. He is a member of the Maine Medical Center medical staff and was recently 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. 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.

Melanie Connors is a board-certified family nurse practitioner. Committed to patient care, Melanie has been a practicing nurse practitioner in family practice in the Portland, Maine, area since 2007. After eight years in the veterinary biotech industry, working in hematology research and development/technical support, she returned to graduate school and earned her master of science degree in nursing from the University of Southern Maine. Melanie, a member of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners and the Maine Nurse Practitioner Association, received her undergraduate degree from the University of Maine before receiving her advanced nursing degree. She enjoys gardening, photography, and traveling.

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.

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 22 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 of the Maine Gastroenterology Society. 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, and spending time with her family.

Lucy Mack is a board-certified family nurse practitioner. In her 21 years of practice, she has worked in acute care, surgery and anesthesia pain management. Professionally, she is most satisfied when she has a positive impact in her patients' lives. She is a native of Portland. She and her husband have 4 children and now loves to dote on their seven grandchildren.

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.