A Memorial Tribute to Pat Smith

Pat Smith, a giant of patient advocacy in the world of tick-borne diseases (TBD), died on August 17 2024.   Friend, colleague, advisor on our Lyme Center board, and leader in helping to establish the Lyme and TBD Research Center at Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC) in 2007 in partnership with the Global Lyme Alliance, Pat was a powerhouse in the battle against TBD.  Brilliant and passionately committed to improving the lives of patients, she spoke her mind with eloquence backed by science. She challenged the status quo and was intolerant of injustice.  She would not sit on the sidelines.  Over the last 3 decades, she had a huge influence on helping to shape the national research and education agenda on Lyme and other TBD.  Pat continued to put pressure on Congress to do more and to increase funding for TBD research.  As President of the Lyme Disease Association, she and the LDA ran a national scientific conference for 22 years with Columbia University providing CME credits.  She understood that only through the highest quality science would the medical care of patients improve; toward that end, the LDA gave out more than 120 research grants.    On a personal level, Pat’s integrity, honesty, vision, commitment, and energy were unparalleled.  We at the Lyme and TBD Research Center at Columbia will miss Pat tremendously, but we will also continue her work in the fight to help improve the lives of those suffering with TBD. To learn more about this extraordinary human being, please read the tribute on the LDA website.