Dr. Estelle Simons was inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame in 2017.
UM community mourns passing of pediatrician-scientist Dr. Estelle Simons
Dr. Peter Nickerson, dean of the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, and the entire UM medical community are saddened by the passing of professor emerita Estelle Simons [B.Sc./65, MD/69] on Nov. 5 at age 80.
Simons, a much-respected professor in the departments of pediatrics and child health and immunology in the Max Rady College of Medicine, was internationally recognized for her expertise in the field of allergic reactions and diseases, notably among children.
As one of the first pediatrician clinician-scientists in Canada, she was renowned for groundbreaking research on the pharmacologic management of allergic diseases.
She was the first to publish descriptions of clinical and immunological reactions to mosquito bites, including anaphylaxis and “skeeter syndrome.”
Her dedication to scholarship, innovative research and education helped transform allergic disease management, relieve suffering and mitigate the impact of the global allergy epidemic.
Born and raised in Vancouver, Simons earned her bachelor of science and medical degree at UM in the 1960s. She studied pediatrics and immunology at the University of Washington.
In 1975, she founded the allergy and clinical immunology section of the UM pediatrics department and served as section head until 2005.
She led a team that tested new medications to treat conditions such as asthma, allergic rhinitis and hives. She published lab-based, hospital-based and community-based investigations of anaphylaxis and epinephrine (adrenaline), including unique studies of epinephrine auto-injectors (epi-pens).
Many of her 580 publications are widely cited, and some have been translated into multiple languages.
Simons’ Canadian Medical Hall of Fame portrait, which is displayed on the Bannatyne campus.
Simons served on the editorial boards of five biomedical journals. She chaired the clinical immunology specialty committee of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and served as president of both the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology and the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.
The F. Estelle R. Simons Award for Research was established in her name in 2016 by the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology to recognize outstanding research in the fields of allergy, asthma and immunology.
She received many awards during her distinguished career, including the Canadian Medical Association Medal of Service, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Distinguished Clinician Award and the World Allergy Organization Scientific Achievement Award.
Simons was a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. She was inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame in 2017 and appointed to the Order of Canada in 2024.