During his 41 years at MGH as a primary care physician, mentor and pioneer in health policy, James J. Dineen, MD, has cared for countless patients and helped redefine the primary care physician-patient relationship. He hopes to continue to make a difference for patients, primary care physicians and the practice of medicine through his involvement in the Lunder-Dineen Health Education Alliance of Maine. Below are selected snapshots of this influential physician’s career at MGH.

As an intern working in the Clinics Building, Dineen noticed that there was a need for better health care access for all patients. With his mentor, John D. Stoeckle, MD, he helped to form a small primary care group that provided 24-hour coverage for patients in the Clinics Building. This group evolved into today’s Internal Medicine Associates (IMA), an MGH primary care practice.

Upon completion of his residency in internal medicine, Dineen completed four six-month subspecialty fellowships to further his training in general internal medicine. During that period, he also worked in various community hospital emergency rooms that were staffed by rotating specialists. Dineen recognized the need for further training for physicians working in these settings and established appropriate courses at MGH. He also helped author the MGH textbook of emergency medicine and became one of the 12 founding members of the American College of Emergency Physicians — an organization that has improved the quality of emergency medicine across the country.

After 20 years with the IMA, Dineen became one of the nine founders of the Bulfinch Medical Group (BMG) in 1990. The practice — which had the founding goal to provide personalized primary care by making each patient feel individually known and cared for by physicians with access to the best subspecialty experts, diagnostic testing and treatments — serves more than 20,000 patients a year. Since its inception, the BMG has continued to implement programs that cultivate the “patient-doctor partnership,” forging the development of a fund supporting ongoing programs aimed at sustaining this idea — the Dr. James J. Dineen Partnership in Primary Care.

Jeanette Ives Erickson is chief nurse emerita and holds the distinguished Paul M. Erickson chair in nursing at Massachusetts General Hospital. She is an Instructor at Harvard Medical School, and Professor at the Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions.

Dr Ives Erickson has authored several books, book chapters and articles, including her research on the importance of a professional practice environment.  She has presented globally and consults on multiple issues affecting nurse autonomy, leadership development and collaborative decision-making.

She is the chairperson of the Commission on Magnet Recognition, is a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing, serves as chairperson of the Board of Trustees for the MGH Institute of Health Professions, co-chair of the Lunder-Dineen Health Education Alliance of Maine. Since 2008, Ives Erickson has been the lead nurse consultant for the strategic collaboration in the creation of Jiahui International Hospital (JIH) in China’s Shanghai Province. She also served as the chair, Chief Nurse Council, Partners Healthcare System from 1999 – 2019 and a member of the Clinical Center Research Hospital Board at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).  Ives Erickson was also the co-medical and operations director at Boston Hope Medical Center/Field Hospital for COVID-19 patients from April – July 2020. She currently serves as the leader of the Mass General Hospital Patient Vaccine Hub.

Robert J. Birnbaum, MD, PhD is the Vice President of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) & Implementation Science at Mass General Brigham (MGB). MGB CPD and its Healthcare Knowledge Translation Lab (KT-Lab) offers activities and learning analytics research that touch on a broad array of provider attitudes, skills, and competencies additionally addressing day-to-day clinical challenges by identifying barriers to optimal care. Subsequently MGB CPD fashions appropriate educational/training interventions and measurs the impact of those interventions on improving health care quality and safety.

Birnbaum’s psychiatry residency training was completed at Mass General Hospital (MGH). His postdoctoral research in molecular neurogenetics was completed at Mass General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Birnbaum serves on the MGB Education Review Board, has served on the Foundation Board of the Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions, and  has collaborated with the Shanghai Mental Health Center and the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) at Peking University. Birnbaum was the Founding Education Program Leader for the Red Sox Foundation Massachusetts General Hospital Home Base Program and was the Founding Executive Director of the MGH Psychiatry Academy.

James A. Gordon, MD, MPA is Chief Learning Officer and Director of the Learning Laboratory at
Massachusetts General Hospital, also serving as Chief of the Division of Medical Simulation in the
hospital’s Department of Emergency Medicine. He is Professor of Emergency Medicine and Medicine at
Harvard Medical School, where he directs the Gilbert Program in Medical Simulation and serves as an
Academy Scholar. Dr. Gordon co-founded the Institute for Medical Simulation at the Center for Medical
Simulation in Boston, Massachusetts.

After studying intellectual history at Princeton, Dr. Gordon attended medical school at the University of
Virginia and completed his training in emergency medicine at the University of Michigan. Following
residency, he completed a fellowship in the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program and earned
a master’s degree in public administration, later serving as a Morgan-Zinsser Teaching Fellow at Harvard
Medical School.

Dr. Gordon served as principal investigator and national co-chair of the first federally-funded research
consensus conference on simulation in health care and was a founding board member of the
international Society for Simulation in Healthcare, where he later was inducted as an inaugural Fellow.
He received the Hal Jayne Excellence in Education Award for outstanding career contributions from the
Society for Academic Emergency Medicine and received the Founders Recognition Award for
distinguished service to its Simulation Academy. His work has been featured in the New Yorker magazine
and highlighted as medical news in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

Labrini I. Nelligan was appointed Executive Director of the Lunder-Dineen Health Education Alliance of Maine in November 2012. Labrini has served as a principal on the Lunder-Dineen team since the inception of the program and has led the development of this first-of-its-kind program between an academic medical center and neighboring state. To assist in building an infrastructure for Lunder Dineen, Labrini identified and convened the membership of an Advisory Board and three, volunteer leadership Advisory Teams to represent broad based stakeholders from Mass General and Maine.

Working in concert with the Lunder Dineen Co-Chairs and Chief Learning Officer, and guided by Labrini’s leadership, the Lunder Dineen Team designs, develops and launches interprofessional, blended learning health education programs. These programs are selected to address identified public health, workforce and health disparity needs impacting residents across the state of Maine. Labrini oversees all business operations of Lunder-Dineen including direct management of all staff, outreach, financial and administrative operations; marketing and communications, as well as other relations to key stakeholders.

Previously, Labrini served as Associate Director of Development Campaigns and Logistics at the Massachusetts General Hospital. She continues to work in concert with the Mass General Development Office, to ensure a coordinated approach and to advance program sustainability and fundraising focus for Lunder Dineen, by developing and implementing fundraising strategy. Prior to her work at Mass General, Labrini served as scheduler for Massachusetts Attorney General Tom Reilly and later as a fundraiser on his gubernatorial campaign.

Labrini was born in Athens, Greece and has lived in Massachusetts her entire life. Labrini holds a B.A. in Political Science from Boston University and a M.S. in Political Science from Suffolk University. Labrini’s greatest sources of pleasure are spending time with her family, enjoying the company of friends and traveling.

To learn more, please listen to Labrini Nelligan’s recent interview on The PR Maven® Podcast with host Nancy Marshall.

Denise O’Connell, MSW, LCSW, CCM, CCP, is Associate Director for the Lunder-Dineen Health Education Alliance of Maine. O’Connell is a certified case manager, licensed clinical social worker and chronic care professional health coach. She has a strong interest in education, as well as chronic care case management and brain injury rehabilitation. She has a broad base of experience as a social work planner and presenter for educational programs including nursing, interprofessional and support staff educational programs.  Past experiences include managing interprofessional teams in sub-acute and community-based care settings, leading accreditation teams, program development while also providing clinical social work services and case management to patients and families in health care settings.  She is passionate about the importance that continuing interprofessional education plays in helping us to improve health, while responding to evolving public health care challenges.

Since 2011, O’Connell has been helping translate a programmatic vision into an effectively functioning operation, specifically leading the development, implementation and assessment of the programs. Her current efforts at Lunder-Dineen entail leading the development, implementation and assessment of  two programs. She serves as the boots on the ground presence for Lunder-Dineen, identifying and building relationships with key stakeholders in Maine to create communication mechanisms for continuously receiving feedback and for implementing changes to the plans as the programs evolve. O’Connell provides the onsite coaching to program sites.

O’Connell is a current member and past president of the Maine Chapter, Society for Social Work Leadership in Health Care and two-time recipient of their Social Work Leader of the Year Award.

She serves on the board of Unlimited Solutions Clubhouse, a program of Penobscot Community Health Care, an Advisory Council Member for AgingME, and is a Literacy Volunteer.

O’Connell is a professional musician, loves dogs, enjoys gardening, travel, and photography. She has been the primary photographer for Lunder-Dineen’s annual reports.

Tara M. Wilson is the Health Education Program Specialist for the Lunder-Dineen Health Education Alliance of Maine. Tara joined the team in 2022 following a 17-year career with Northern Light Health Systems in Maine. Tara holds a BS in Human Services and started her career as a Social Worker prior to transitioning to administration. Her primary areas of focus have been on process improvement and strategic and operational support to developing Medical Groups. Tara enjoys spending time with her family, her two dogs and cycling.

Lissette Velez-Cross is the Program Coordinator for the Lunder-Dineen Health Education Alliance of Maine. She recently joined the team after a 6-year career in Stage Management, regionally and Off-Broadway. During her time in the theater industry, Lissette refined her project management skills while coordinating backstage logistics, managing the documentation of multiple projects, and collaborating with various production departments. Lissette holds a Bachelor of Arts in Stage and Production Management from Emerson College. She enjoys woodworking, ice skating, cooking, and spending time by the ocean.

George N. Campbell has over 40 years of executive and board leadership in transportation, municipal and economic development sectors. Mr. Campbell is an accomplished strategic thinker, business and community leader. He has developed a unique perspective as a public policy leader and private business CEO, resulting in a reputation as an innovator, deal maker, and go-to person. Mr. Campbell has served in leadership positions with two state departments of transportation and has worked with national, private-sector transportation engineering organizations. He also represented private sector clients like LL Bean, Great Spring Waters of America (Nestlé), and General Dynamics (Bath Iron Works Shipyard) to design, gain local and state support, and help develop significant expansion projects, all above $100 million and ranging to $300 million plus.

Mr. Campbell currently serves as Advisory Board Chairman for TFIC and chairs Infraspect. Mr. Campbell has extensive board participation and leadership experience at the national, state and local government levels as well as several non-profit organizations. A representative list of his past board responsibilities includes American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (Executive Board); Maine Port Authority (Chair); National League of Cities – Community & Economic Development Committee (Vice Chair); Maine Board of Environmental Protection (Board Member); Gulf of Maine Research Institute (Chair); Mayor of Portland, Maine & Maine Municipal Association (President); Martins Point Health Care (Chair). He holds an MA in Public Administration (1978) and a BA in Public Administration (1971) from the University of Maine.

John B. (Jack) Emory was raised in Baltimore, Maryland in the winter months and down east Maine in the summer. Jack graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, served 3 years in the U.S. Navy stationed on a destroyer out of San Diego, and went to California Western School of Law on the G.I. Bill, graduating in 1973. Jack and his family moved to Portland, Maine from San Diego in 1974, where he practiced law for 24 years, and he became general counsel of the Dexter Shoe Company in 1998. Jack is past president of The Lunder Foundation.

Kevin Gillis grew up in Portland Maine. He attended Dartmouth College, and graduated magna cum laude in 1976 with a degree in Government and Economics. After graduation from Cornell Law School in !979, he returned to Portland, where he practiced law for more than 36 years. In 2016, he became president of the Lunder Foundation and currently runs the Peter and Paula Lunder family office in Portland.

Paul S. Goodof is a native of Waterville, Maine and a current resident of Hebron, Maine. Having earned his high school education at Hebron Academy, Paul went on to complete his education at Harvard College and Harvard Business School where he earned his master’s degree. Paul served as the resident dean of Harvard College for the better part of a decade, directly following the completion of his undergraduate studies.

In 1981, Paul joined the Boston-based leader in commercial real estate, Meredith & Grew, Inc., as treasurer and chief financial officer, as well as a shareholder. He stayed at Meredith & Grew until the mid-1990s when he opted to begin his own private consulting practice focusing on finance and management of nonprofit organizations including schools, colleges, museums, and historical organizations. Today, Paul continues his private practice work and thrives with his passion for helping charitable causes and nonprofits succeed.

Over the years, Paul has served as a trustee for various organizations and institutions including Rogerson Communities of Boston, New England Wildflower Society, Tenacre Country Day School in Wellesley, Mass., Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, Mass., and Hebron Academy in Hebron, Maine. As a trustee for Massachusetts General Hospital and a member of the Partners HealthCare corporation, Paul’s input on Lunder-Dineen’s advisory board is incredibly valuable.

Admiral Johnson was selected for flag rank in February 1995. His initial flag assignment was as the Director of Operations, Plans, and Policy (N3/N5) on the Commander in Chief, U.S. Atlantic Fleet staff. In February 1996, he reported as Commander, Carrier Group Eight/USS Theodore Roosevelt Battle Group where he served until August 1997. In September 1997, he reported as the Senior Military Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of Defense and was subsequently assigned as the Senior Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense in May 1999. He assumed command of the U.S. Sixth Fleet and Naval Striking and Support Forces Southern Europe in October 2000. Admiral Johnson next commanded U.S. Naval Forces, Europe and Joint Force Command, Naples from October 2001 through October 2004. He retired from active duty December 2004.

Admiral Johnson’s decorations and awards include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal (with three bronze oak leafs), Navy Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit (with two gold stars), Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (with two gold stars), NATO Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal, Navy Commendation Medal, Navy Achievement Medal, and various service and campaign awards.

Since retiring in December 2004, Admiral Johnson has founded Snow Ridge Associates, which provides strategic advice and counsel. He also serves on the board of directors of several public sector companies and is active in many civic endeavors including the University of Maine’s Board of Visitors and the School of Policy and International Affairs’ (SPIA) Advisory Board. He and his wife Joy reside in Harpswell, Maine.

Raised in rural Maine, Dr. Mills practiced in a variety of places including Los Angeles and Tanzania before returning to provide primary care in her hometown. She was then tapped to lead public health for Maine for nearly 15 years, then for the University of New England, and now for MaineHealth, the state’s largest hospital-based healthcare system. As a board-certified pediatrician and public health leader in the most rural state in the nation with an increasing diverse population in its urban areas, her work has focused on addressing health issues across the spectrum – from tobacco to environmental health issues, pandemics (HIV, H1N1, and COVID), obesity, the opioid epidemic, maternal child health, and health disparities, to name a few. Her work has been widely recognized, including receiving ASTHO’s McCormack Award, the AMA’s Nathan Davis Award, American Academy of Pediatrics Special Achievement Award, and state awards, including the highest awards by the Maine Medical Association and Maine Public Health Association, as well as an honorary degree conferred by the University of Maine. On a personal note, she splits her time between Portland and her lake cottage in rural Maine, and enjoys a number of year round outdoor activities with her two young adult children as well as other family and friends.

Regina Phillips is the co-founder and consultant for Cross Cultural Community Services. Previously, Ms. Phillips worked at the Westbrook School Department as their Grants and Community Engagement Coordinator and at the City of Portland Social Services Division as the Program Manager for their Refugee Services and Family Shelter Programs. Ms. Phillips also worked as an adjunct professor at both the University of New England and Southern Maine. Ms. Phillips has also chaired and participated in numerous boards on racial and social justice, including the Greater Portland NAACP branch Ms. Phillips grew up in Maine, and has her Master of Social Work from UNE, and Doctor of Social Work from Tulane University.