About Steve

Stephen Joseph Meister (Born November 28, 1954, Queens, New York) is a Physician and Medical Director for the Pediatric Rapid Evaluation Program (PREP) in Augusta, Maine. Dr. Meister, a Navy veteran of the Gulf War, declared his candidacy for the U.S. House of Representatives from Maine's First Congressional District in October, 2007.

Steve helped to establish the PREP program in 1998 to speed the assessment of medical and mental health needs of children entering Maine's foster care system. The award-winning program has served more than 1,350 children. He has been an adjunct clinical professor of Community and Family Medicine at Dartmouth College Medical School from 1996-present. He also teaches clinical pediatrics to students from the University of New England. Steve has been awarded more than $2 million in federal grants for medical and community services in the Mid-Maine region.

Steve was married in Portland, Maine in 1979, and resides with his wife, Dr. Dervilla McCann and their two children in Winthrop Maine.

Steve attended Brown University and graduated in 1976 with a BA in Human Biology. He played lacrosse throughout his college career, and was captain in 1976 when the Brown lacrosse team was ranked 8th in the nation. The son of a boilermaker, Steve worked in the trade unions to finance his college education.

Steve's grandfather, Hans Meister, was the Chief of Ladder Company #292 in Long Island City in New York during the Second World War. In 1943, Hans responded to a five alarm fire, suffered smoke inhalation and died a few days later. In honor of their grandfather, The Meister family created a scholarship fund for the children of deceased New York City Fire Fighters and Fire Officers. The New York City Bravest Scholarship Fund was established in 1998.

Steve was awarded a US Navy Scholarship to attend Tufts University School of Medicine in 1980 and graduated with an MD in 1984. He completed a residency in Pediatrics at Columbia University in 1987, and joined the teaching faculty at the Naval Medical Center, San Diego. His Navy career included duty in 1988 on board the USS New Orleans, which toured the Philippines, China, South Korea, and Japan. When the Gulf War began in 1990, Dr. Meister was deployed with the 1st Marine Division to Saudi Arabia, where he directed a field hospital emergency room treating war casualties. Steve served in the Navy Reserves following active duty, and received an honorable discharge at the rank of Commander in 2002.

His military medals, citations and ribbons include: Fleet Marine Force Ribbon; Desert Storm/Desert Shield Medal; Southwest Asian Service Medal; National Defense Letter of Commendation; Kuwaiti Liberation Medal; Expert Marksman Pistol; Expert Marksman Rifle.

After leaving the Naval Medical Center, San Diego in 1994, Steve became an Associate Clinical Professor at the George Washington University Medical School in Washington DC, and was awarded a Public Health Scholarship to attend graduate school at the George Washington University where he received a Masters in Health Services Administration.

Steve and his family moved to Maine in 1996, when he joined Kennebec Pediatrics in Augusta. He worked with Maine's Communities for Children (MCC) program and obtained grants, which funded VISTA and America's Promise volunteers to begin an after-school care and mentorship program in his local community. He also developed programs to enhance services for children with special needs and to improve communication between medical providers and families.

Steve was recently recognized by the American Academy of Pediatrics with a Special Achievement Award for his work with foster children in Maine.