Berman, Tufts dean who brought training to Maine, dies at 83

BOSTON (AP) — Harris Berman, the dean of the Tufts University School of Medicine for eight years, has died. He was 83.

A spokesperson for Tufts said Berman died of congestive heart failure. The university confirmed he died Saturday.

Berman’s accomplishments included developing the “Maine Track Program,” which was a collaborative effort with Maine Medical Center in Portland, Maine, to train students who were interested in rural medicine. He also served as chief executive officer of Tufts Health Plan for 17 years before starting at the medical school as chairman of its Department of Public Health and Community Medicine.

Berman was asked to become interim dean in 2009 before becoming the oldest dean of a medical school in America at age 73, university officials said.

Anthony P. Monaco, president of Tufts University, said Berman was “a trailblazer in the field of managed care, and as the highly respected dean of our medical school.”