A former colorectal surgeon at Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center is suing the hospital and one of its doctors, claiming she was bullied and discriminated against for her sex and country of origin.
Maria Michailidou’s lawsuit against Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center and Brad Waddell, which was filed Monday, claims Michailidou was repeatedly demeaned, yelled at and blamed for things that were not her fault.
Michailidou was born in Greece and began working at Northern Light EMMC as a colorectal surgeon in August 2018 after finishing medical school in Greece, then completing residency programs and clinical research across the U.S.
Michailidou claims most of the alleged hostile and demeaning bullying originated from Dr. Brad Waddell, chief of surgery at Eastern Maine Medical Center, and the hospital encouraged it to instill fear in junior doctors, particularly women and foreign-born doctors.
The complaint alleges Northern Light employs several foreign-born medical professionals because they are wholly reliant on the agency to stay in the country and are therefore less likely to leave and can be paid less.
The lawsuit also claims Dr. Michelle Toder, a Northern Light general surgeon, would insult and scold Michailidou for seeking help in her job and overwork Michailidou by directing her to see colorectal consultations and talk to consulting physicians while she was on call. She would also direct patients to Michailidou’s outpatient clinic without telling Michailidou about the referrals.
Waddell also put Michailidou on a Focused Professional Practice Evaluation, which later led to her termination through a forced resignation, though the review process wasn’t well documented.
In September 2020, Michailidou was presented with a letter of administrative suspension following an unnamed “last straw” case, according to the lawsuit. A third-party medical reviewer and the Maine Board of Licensure in Medicine, however, found Michailidou’s actions in the case “fully complied with the applicable standard of care.”
Michailidou claimed she was never given an explanation for the decision.
Michailidou is seeking back pay and compensation for her damages and attorney fees.
Northern Light had not responded to a request for comment as of 5 p.m. on Monday.
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