About the teaching academy
The Patricia A. Tietjen, MD Teaching Academy was established in 2021 with the distinct mission of offering an inclusive, interdisciplinary scholarly home for clinical educators across the Nuvance Health network. The Teaching Academy honors the legacy and noteworthy contributions of the late Dr. Tietjen, an ardent advocate for education at Nuvance Health.
Mission
The Patricia A. Tietjen, MD Teaching Academy brings together passionate and promising educators, promoting their pursuit of excellence in education and scholarship and recognizing their contributions to Northwell Health.
Vision
Create an interdisciplinary home for promising and passionate educators, actualizing Northwell Health’s unwavering commitment to teaching and inspiring future generations in medicine.
Goals
- Promote effective and innovative practices for high-quality teaching and learning.
- Support medical education faculty professional development.
- Maintain a forum for members and associates to have dialogue about teaching and learning.
- Support the scholarship, teaching, and learning activities within medical education.
- Advise and serve as a resource to Nuvance Health on issues related to excellence in teaching and educational scholarship.
A message from our directors
Welcome to the online home of the Patricia A. Tietjen, MD Teaching Academy.
Our initial mission, conceived just three years ago, aimed to establish a thriving community of practice. Today, we proudly announce the evolution of our academy into three distinct tracks, each with a unique focus. This transformation would not have been possible without the dedication of our community members and their tireless commitment to excellence in clinical education.
Each of the PATMDTA scholars is dedicated to improving clinical education by participating in the academy and dedicating their time to educational projects aimed at enhancing the quality of clinical education. To our scholars, thank you for your dedication to interdisciplinary work. To those who have supported our scholars along this journey, your mentorship, guidance, and collaborative spirit have been invaluable.
As we look forward, we wholeheartedly invite future scholars to apply and join us on this remarkable journey. The Patricia A. Tietjen, MD Teaching Academy is not just an institution of learning but a dynamic and evolving community dedicated to advancing the field of clinical education.
In closing, we want to convey our deepest appreciation to each contributor who has played a pivotal role in making the Patricia A. Tietjen, MD Teaching Academy a resounding success. Together, we are collectively shaping the future of clinical education, and we are incredibly excited about the possibilities that lie ahead.
Sincerely,
Beth
Dr. Beth West
Executive Director,
Northwell Health,
Patricia A. Tietjen, MD Teaching Academy
Photo: Wednesday, March 18, 2026
Beth West, EdD
Executive Director,
Northwell Health,
Patricia A. Tietjen, MD Teaching Academy
Dr. Beth West joined Northwell Health in June 2021 as Director of the newly founded Patricia A. Tietjen, MD Teaching Academy and has served as Executive Director since August 2025. Beth completed her undergraduate education at Fordham University and her Masters in international education from the SIT Graduate Institute (formerly School for International Training) in Brattleboro, VT.
In May 2026, Beth completed her doctoral degree, Ed.D. in Educational Leadership with a concentration in International Education at the University of Bridgeport — she successfully defended her dissertation, examining via a phenomenological qualitative study the experience of participation in the Patricia A. Tietjen, MD Teaching Academy on clinical educator burnout, professional identity formation, and self-efficacy.
Beth has over fifteen years of international and intercultural education program development and management experience, including her work with the William J. Fulbright program, as Director of the Centro de Consejeria Educativa (EducationUSA Advising Center- Bogota, Colombia), founding Director of Exchange Programs at the Prepa Ibero at the Universidad Iberoamericana (Mexico City, Mexico), Director of CIEE Guanajuato (Guanajuato, Mexico), and founding Director of Indiana University’s Mexico Global Gateway at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM-Mexico City, Mexico).
Prior to joining Northwell, Beth served in the CDC Foundation’s COVID-19 Crisis Corps as a bilingual intercultural Health Educator working with communities in Hartford, CT. She has diverse experience in non-profit humanitarian aid program management, solidarity based-community development projects, intercultural teaching and learning, and creative partnerships linking volunteerism and international education within Latin and South America and the United States. She speaks Spanish fluently, and lived in Mexico for 8 years and Colombia for 3 years.
She is a certified Qualified Administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) Assessment. She was recently accepted into a prestigious certificate program in social learning leadership led by internationally renowned social learning theorists and consultants Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner. Beth is an active member of the Housatonic Friends Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers).
About Patricia A. Tietjen, MD
The Patricia A. Tietjen, MD Teaching Academy is named in honor of the late Dr. Tietjen, Northwell Health’s former Chief Medical Officer, and a beloved member of the community. Dr. Tietjen graduated from the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center and completed her training at St. Vincent’s and Memorial Sloan Kettering. Her career progressed, leading her to become President of St. Vincent’s Medical Staff and subsequently Chair of the Department of Medicine for Danbury Hospital. In 2020, Dr. Tietjen assumed the role of Chief Medical Officer at Nuvance Health, an administrative position held by only 3% of women in the field.
What made Dr. Tietjen most unique in this field was her genuine love for treating patients and collaborating with colleagues, especially interdisciplinary staff. Her career was driven by a deep desire to enhance the patient experience and improve staff engagement. Her remarkable contributions were recognized with the Richard J. Kennedy Attending Teacher of the Year Award four times. Dr. Tietjen was a passionate advocate for interprofessional education and held a profound vision of launching a Teaching Academy for clinical educators at Nuvance Health. It is both an honor and a privilege to bring Dr. Tietjen’s visionary dream of the Teaching Academy to life, and we sincerely hope she would be proud of the remarkable accomplishments in building our community of practice.
