Researcher Spotlight

 John Stewart, MD
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Dr. John Stewart died in a fall at his home on June 20, 2003. He was doing what came naturally – working diligently – at the time of his death. I can only presume that he approached home repairs with the same vigor and enthusiasm as he did in his work at the CDC.

In his message to CDC employees, Dr. James LeDuc, Director, National Center for Infectious Diseases (NCID), cited the following accomplishments of Dr. Stewart:

Dr. Stewart was an employee at CDC for almost 40 years, serving as Chief of Clinical Virology Section, VEHB, DVRD, NCID for 20 of those years. He studied diseases of childhood, including measles, rubella, chickenpox, cytomegalovirus (CMV) and roseola and coined the term TORCH (toxoplasmosis, other, rubella, cytomegalovirus and herpes), an expression recognized by every pediatrician and family practitioner. TORCH represents a panel of neonatal infections that are difficult to discriminate on purely clinical grounds, and at the time diagnostic assays were scarce and crude. Dr. Stewart was a major contributor to the development and deployment of diagnostic methods for the identification of TORCH agents. He also studied other herpes virus infections, such as herpes simplex and Epstein-Barr virus. He worked for over a decade to raise awareness for congenital CMV, a costly and ultimately preventable disease. More recently, he has worked on improving our understanding of chronic fatigue syndrome.

In addition to his many professional accomplishments, as noted above by Dr. LeDuc, what touched us about Dr. Stewart was his kindness. He was a truly fine person, a sincerely religious and devoted family man whose goodness was immediately evident. He had a rather startling, whooping laugh that was infectious – you laughed at him laughing! He will also be remembered fondly riding his bike to work (in Atlanta traffic), wearing bowties and his crew cut hair. He looked forward to camping with his many grandchildren each summer. His love of the outdoors helped inspire the creation of Camp Hope, a Christian camp for children.

The CFIDS community is fortunate to have had such a determined advocate working on their behalf. Dr. Stewart approached CFIDS with an open mind, making no pre-judgments or prejudicial statements and genuinely wanting to find a cause for this disabling illness. He worked on the Advisory Committee for the Association’s provider education project and frequently joined me in the exhibit booth at national medical conferences.

On behalf of The CFIDS Association of America, I express my sincere sympathy to the family, friends and co-workers of Dr. Stewart. He will be missed.

Terry Lupton, RN, BSS