Frances Estelle Reed Simons (born April 26, 1945) is a Canadian physician and researcher. She was named to the

Canadian Medical Hall of Fame __NOTOC__ The Canadian Medical Hall of Fame is a Canadian charitable organization, founded in 1994, that honours Canadians who have contributed to the understanding of disease and improving the health of people. It has an exhibit hall in London, ...

in 2017. She was born in

Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

and grew up there. Simons received her BSc and MD from the

University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a public research university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Founded in 1877, it is the first university of Western Canada. Both by total student enrolment and campus area, the University of ...

. She studied

pediatrics Pediatrics (American English) also spelled paediatrics (British English), is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, Adolescence, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, pediatrics covers many o ...

and

immunology Immunology is a branch of biology and medicine that covers the study of Immune system, immune systems in all Organism, organisms. Immunology charts, measures, and contextualizes the Physiology, physiological functioning of the immune system in ...

at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

. In 1975, she founded the Allergy and Clinical Immunology section in the Pediatrics department at the University of Manitoba and served as its section head from 1975 to 2005. From 1976 to 1991, she was training program director for Allergy and Clinical Immunology. She was one of the first pediatric clinical scientists in Canada. Simons is a professor in the departments of Pediatrics and Child Health and of Immunology at the University of Manitoba. She is internationally recognized for her research into the management of allergic diseases. She has designed and implemented testing of new medications to treat conditions such as

asthma Asthma is a common long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wh ...

, allergic

rhinitis Rhinitis, also known as coryza, is irritation and inflammation of the mucous membrane inside the nose. Common symptoms are a stuffy nose, runny nose, sneezing, and post-nasal drip. The inflammation is caused by viruses, bacteria, irritant ...

and

hives Hives, also known as urticaria, is a kind of skin rash with red or flesh-colored, raised, itchy bumps. Hives may burn or sting. The patches of rash may appear on different body parts, with variable duration from minutes to days, and typically ...

. She is a fellow of the

Royal Society of Canada The Royal Society of Canada (RSC; , SRC), also known as the Academies of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences of Canada (French: ''Académies des arts, des lettres et des sciences du Canada''), is the senior national, bilingual council of distinguishe ...

, of the

Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada () is a regulatory college which acts as a national, nonprofit organization established in 1929 by a special Act of Parliament to oversee the medical education of specialists in Canada. The ...

and of the

Canadian Academy of Health Sciences The Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CAHS) is one of three national academies that comprise the Council of Canadian Academies (CCA), the highest honour granted to scholars in Canada. The two other CCA academies are the Royal Society of Cana ...

. She held the

Medical Council of Canada The Medical Council of Canada (MCC; ) is an organization charged with the partial assessment and evaluation of medical graduates and physicians through standardized examination. It grants the qualification called Licentiate of the Medical Council ...

's Queen Elizabeth II Scientist Award from 1975 to 1981. She has served on the editorial boards for five biomedical journals including ''

The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology ''The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology'' (JACI) is a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal covering research on allergy and immunology. It is one of three official journals of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology. The j ...

''. She has been chair of the Clinical Immunology Specialty Committee of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and president of both the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology and the

American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology Founded in 1943, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) is a professional medical membership organization of more than 7,000 allergists/ immunologists and related professionals around the world with advanced training and exp ...

. She was awarded the

Canadian Medical Association The Canadian Medical Association (CMA; ) is a national, voluntary association of physicians and medical learners that advocates on national health matters. Its primary mandate is to drive positive change in health care by advocating on key hea ...

's Medal of Service in 1999. 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 was appointed to the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

in 2024. She currently lives in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Simons, F. Estelle R. 1945 births Living people Canadian pediatricians Women pediatricians University of Manitoba alumni University of Washington alumni Academic staff of the University of Manitoba Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada Canadian immunologists Health professionals from Winnipeg Officers of the Order of Canada