Stephen Malawista
Stephen Malawista, Co-Discoverer of Lyme Disease
Malawista was a medical researcher and Professor of Medicine at Yale University. Alongside his Yale colleague Dr. Allen Steere, the pair defined the illness brought to their attention by the Connecticut Department of Public Health as “lyme arthritis” in 1977. They determined that the illness was the result of a tick bite, and after more research outlining the variety of symptoms surrounding the illness, the name was changed to “Lyme Disease.” At the age of 79, Malawista died due to complications of melanoma in his Hamden home in September 2013.