We are saddened to announce that our longtime faculty member and friend, Steven Leder, PhD passed away suddenly on May 16th. Dr. Leder began his career in the Department of Surgery, Section of Otolaryngology in 1986 as an Assistant Professor and after multiple academic accomplishments was promoted to Professor in 1999.
Steve was well known by many of us who interacted with him on both the clinical and research fronts. He was a busy clinician with insights into the field of speech and swallowing that few in the country possessed. He was a great intellect and a prolific, innovative researcher, particularly in the area of dysphagia, always pressing for the next idea and study. He was widely published and changed the paradigm for evaluation of swallowing issues throughout the country. At the time of his death, his credits include more than 138 research publications and books, the last of which was just recently released, “The Yale Pharyngeal Residue Severity Rating Scale: An Anatomically Defined and Image-Based Tool”
Dr. Leder was also a remarkable educator, a mentor to so many in both speech language pathology and otolaryngology. His passing is a tremendous loss to our community. We will miss his exceptional contributions, unparalled collegiality, exemplary mentorship, and his marvelous sense of humor.
During this difficult time, it’s our hope that we all take a moment and pause to honor our dear friend, colleague and mentor and pay tribute to the man who taught us so much about life.
A memorial fund has been set up to continue Dr. Leder’s extensive research in advancing the field of speech and swallow. Contributions are tax deductible and can be mailed to The Steven B. Leder Memorial Fund at The Yale School of Medicine, 800 Howard Avenue, 4th Floor, Room 422, New Haven, Connecticut 06519.