The MMC Institute for Teaching Excellence (MITE)

Mission 

The mission of the MMC Institute for Teaching Excellence (MITE) is to provide a centralized, coordinated, high-quality infrastructure to promote and enhance the development of faculty in Maine.

Vision

MITE will become the “go-to” place for Maine faculty wishing to develop their educational knowledge and teaching skills. MITE will provide creative and relevant educational activities in multiple media, and raise the prominence of faculty in Maine.

 

MITE Leadership Council

Frank Chessa, PhD

Frank Chessa, PhD

Dr. Chessa is the Director of Clinical Ethics at Maine Medical Center. Additionally, he serves as the Assistant Professor of Medicine and Associate Course Director of Ethics and Professionalism at Tufts University School of Medicine. He previously worked as an Assistant Professor at both Bates College and the University of Nevada. He attended Dickinson College, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy and Environmental Studies. He received a Master of Arts in philosophy at the University of South Florida, followed by a Doctorate in Philosophy at Georgetown University. At Georgetown, he focused on ethical theory and medical ethics. In 2012, he was awarded “Outstanding Lecturer” from Tufts University School of Medicine. He regularly presents at national conferences and has numerous publications on medical ethics. His topics of interest include Clinical Ethics (e.g., End-of-Life Care, Organ Transplantation, Reproductive Health), Medical Ethics (e.g., Methodology, Just Distribution of Health Care Resources, Managing Relationships with Industry, Research Ethics), and General Ethical Theory.

Contact Information:

Email: Frank.Chessa@mainehealth.org

Kathleen Fairfield, MD, MPH, DrPH

Kathleen Fairfield, MD, MPH, DrPH

Kathleen Fairfield, MD, MPH, DrPH

Co-Director, the Academy at MITE
Vice Chair for Education and Professional Development, Department of Medicine

Professor of Medicine, Public Health & Community Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine

Dr. Fairfield is an internist, medical educator, physician coach, and scientist studying approaches to improve health equity. She completed an M.D. at Boston University School of Medicine, followed by internship and residency at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston. She then completed the Harvard Medical School fellowship in General Medicine, earning her Master’s in Public Health, followed by a Doctorate in Public Health focused on Epidemiology and Nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health. After serving on the faculty at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Dr. Fairfield joined MMC in 2002.

Dr. Fairfield serves as Co-Director of the Academy. Her education work has included leading development and implementation of the Introduction to Research course for residents and fellows, completed by more than 500 trainees at Maine Medical Center. She also lead the development of, and directed the Certificate in Healthcare Improvement, training interprofessional teams across MaineHealth. Dr. Fairfield serves as Vice Chair for Education and Professional Development in the Department of Medicine at MMC.

Dr. Fairfield sees patients and supervises residents in the International and Travel Clinics at MMC. She served as Medical Director for the Portland Community Free Clinic for 16 years where she has volunteered since 2002. Her professional focus is improving the health of the people of her home state of Maine through excellent clinical care, medical education, and community-engaged research.

Email: Kathleen.Fairfield@mainehealth.org

Katy Kruithoff, RN, MS

Katy Kruithoff, RN, MS

Katy Kruithoff joined the Department of Medical Education in January 2009 as a consultant supporting various medical education projects.  As of 2011, as Project Manager, her scope of work includes projects within the department supporting UME and GME strategic initiatives including the implementation of the Annual Institutional Review (AIR) Survey.

Katy received her Master’s degree in Adult Education from the University of Southern Maine and a BS in Nursing from the University of Massachusetts. As a nurse she worked primarily in pediatric specialty units and assisted reproductive technology programs in both educational and administrative capacities.

Leah Mallory, MD

Leah Mallory, MD

Leah Mallory, MD is a graduate of Stanford University School of Medicine in 2003, and a graduate of Stanford University in 1997. Prior to beginning medical school, Dr. Mallory worked as an Emergency Medical Technician and Firefighter. Dr. Mallory completed her residency in Pediatrics, in the Boston Combined Residency Program (a collaborative program between Children’s Hospital Boston/ Harvard University and Boston Medical Center/ Boston University), staying an extra year to serve as Chief Resident. Dr. Mallory is currently a Pediatric Hospitalist at The Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital at Maine Medical Center. She is a member of the TUSM Maine/Track admissions committee and director of the pediatric simulation program. Dr. Mallory’s teaching responsibilities encompass both undergraduate and graduate medical education as well as pediatric simulation-based interprofessional team training in the hospital setting. Other academic interests include simulation-based assessment of trainees and quality improvement issues in pediatric hospitalist medicine, specifically hospital-to-home transitions.

Dr. Mallory’s interests outside of the hospital include surfing, triathlon training, and ocean kayaking, as well as enjoying a busy family life. Her husband is a Pediatric Surgeon at The Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital. They have 3 spirited children ages 7, 9 and 11, a dog, 2 cats, 2 lizards, and 1 bird. 

Special Interest Group Leadership Area: Simulation Research

Robert Bing-You, MD, MEd, MBA

Robert Bing-You, MD, MEd, MBA

Director of Continuing Interprofessional Development, Department of Medical Education at Maine Medical Center
Co-Director of The Academy

Dr. Bing-You is a graduate of George Washington University School of Medicine. He completed his Internal Medicine residency training here at Maine Medical Center, followed by a clinical and research fellowship in Endocrinology. He then went on to obtain a Masters in Adult Education at the University of Southern Maine. He completed his MBA degree through the University of Massachusetts. For eight years, Dr. Bing-You served as Residency Program Director and Clerkship Director for the Department of Internal Medicine. Dr. Bing-You served as MMC Vice President for Medical Education for 29 years. He helped establish MITE in 2015 and has served as Co-Director of the Academy since its initiation. He has been active at the leadership level of several educational committees, such as MMC Graduate Medical Education Committee, CME Advisory Committee, and Maine Track Admissions Subcommittee, to name a few. Dr. Bing-You has a small endocrinology practice at PenBay Medical Center.

Contact Information:

Email: Robert.bing-You@mainehealth.org

Office: 207-662-7060