Meet Steve Meister, 2020 Giraffe Award Winner

mainechildrensalliance • October 29, 2020

This is one in a series of profiles on the 2020 Giraffe Award winners. Each week leading up to the Champions for Children virtual celebration on November 17th, we will feature a profile of a 2020 Giraffe Award Winner and showcase how they “stick out their neck” for Maine children, youth, and families. This week, we are pleased to introduce you to Steve Meister.

Throughout his career, Dr. Steve Meister has continuously sought ways to innovate services on behalf of children and families. His efforts have ranged from taking on challenges of behavioral health and family problems within pediatric care, to meeting the needs of underserved children and youth in foster care, to leading child traumatic stress resource development, to guiding program and policy development within regional and national health care reform.

As Steve has been a leader in advocacy on the state level, he has also encouraged others to lead. He is well known by his colleagues for his eagerness to share information and to work in collaboration, as well as to offer himself as a mentor to others.

Within Maine General's Pediatric Rapid Evaluation Program (PREP), Dr. Meister helped evaluate service models from around the country and identify what would work best for Maine children entering foster care. The PREP started by him led to the development of statewide medical and psychological evaluations of all children coming into foster care.

Recognizing a gap in services for children who experienced trauma, Dr. Meister developed and served as Principal Investigator for the Mid-Maine Child Trauma Network, a community practice center of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN). He contributed to the development of a Pediatric Medical Traumatic Stress Toolkit. He now contributes to a second NCTSN community practice center at Maine General, focused on evidence-based trauma treatment.  

Along the way, Steve completed a master’s degree in public health and brought this to a position as Medical Director for Child and Family Health in the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. There, among other things, he was active in advocating for best practice screening services for children with autistic spectrum disorders and advancing children’s health care reform.

As chair of the Maine Child Death and Serious Injury Review Panel, Dr. Meister spearheaded the development of a comprehensive model for safe home delivery in Maine. And as part of the steering committee for the Coalition for the Advancement of Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Steve was pivotal in getting the state to update its review of youth behavioral health services in Maine.  

Steve has also been a guiding force within the Maine Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, serving as both member and President. During his tenure, the Maine chapter was recognized particularly for its community-based initiative to address adverse childhood experiences and advance the Maine Resilience Building Network. Now as the Medical Director with the Edmund N. Ervin Pediatric Center at MaineGeneral Medical Center, Dr. Meister continues in his lifelong service and advocacy for children and their families.  

Steve Meister  will be awarded a 2020 Giraffe Award for his lifelong work and commitment to improving the quality and access of health care for Maine children on November 17th at our Champions for Children celebration.

Don’t forget to join us for the 2020 Champions for Children and Giraffe Awards event ! And keep an eye out for upcoming profiles featuring the rest of our 2020 Giraffe Award winners. 

A pie chart showing the percentage of people in person and online.
By mainechildrensalliance July 15, 2025
Maine’s college students – like students of all ages – had their learning disrupted by the COVID-19 crisis. The impact on college enrollment in Maine reflects the trends nationally. Maine’s public university and community college systems have played a critical role in addressing the needs of students and American Rescue Act funds offer an opportunity for continued support to students to help them succeed in meeting their higher education goals.

By mainechildrensalliance July 15, 2025
AUGUSTA, ME—On Tuesday the President released his blueprint for the federal budget , which if enacted, would be detrimental to Maine’s future and the health and well-being of our children, youth and families. The President’s proposals go back on the Federal Government’s long-held commitments to children in the areas of health, nutrition and education. These drastic cuts targeting programs like Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will adversely affect child development in Maine and there will be serious consequences for years to come.
By mainechildrensalliance July 15, 2025
Through the Maine state budget, we can support solutions that respond to the needs of the moment and invest in building a more vibrant, equitable future for our children. an unprecedented opportunity to strengthen and stabilize families who continue to face significant health and economic challenges related to the coronavirus pandemic. They also provide an opportunity to invest in the long-term recovery of our state, by investing in the programs and services that support the needs of working families, who are raising the next generation of Mainers, and who are the backbone of our workforce and communities.
A row of giraffe trophies are lined up on a table
By mainechildrensalliance July 15, 2025
http://www.mekids.org/nomination-form.php
By mainechildrensalliance July 15, 2025
the American Health Care Act
A graph showing the cost of care for an infant , toddler , and child
By mainechildrensalliance July 15, 2025
69 percent of Maine children under the age of six having both parents working to make ends meet
A red sign that says give today on it
By mainechildrensalliance July 15, 2025
By mainechildrensalliance July 15, 2025
A woman and two children are sitting on a couch looking at a tablet.
By mainechildrensalliance July 15, 2025
Show More