November 13, 2018

On November 9, a memorial service was held to celebrate the legacy of Dr. William T. Shearer, an internationally respected leader, clinician, investigator and mentor in pediatric immunology and HIV/AIDS.

More than 100 attendees – including members of Shearer’s family and several of his trainees and colleagues who worked with him for many years – shared memories of Shearer, who was the founder and former chief of the Allergy and Immunology Service at Texas Children’s Hospital for 34 years and a professor of Pediatrics and Immunology at Baylor College of Medicine for 40 years.

For many who knew him, Shearer was described by his colleagues as an incredibly compassionate mentor. Throughout his career, he mentored 117 trainees as the Program Director of the Allergy and Immunology Fellowship Training Program at Texas Children’s and Baylor College of Medicine.

One of his trainees was Dr. Carla Davis, chief of Immunology, Allergy and Rheumatology Service at Texas Children’s, who met Shearer as a pediatric resident. After attending a program he founded – Texas Allergy Asthma and Immunology Society’s Primary Care Residence Conference – her interest in the field began.

“As a resident, I was captivated by his unique blue coat, his enthusiasm for patients, and the field of immunology,” said Davis, who delivered the opening remarks at the ceremony. “I was fascinated by his teaching ability and the fact that he thought I would be a great allergist immunologist. I am honored to carry on the legacy.”

Texas Children’s Physician-in-Chief Dr. Mark W. Kline also shared memorable and humorous anecdotes of Shearer. On one rare occasion, he recalled dropping by the office on a Sunday morning, and saw Shearer dressed up in his suit and tie, either working on a grant or writing textbook chapters for the world’s premier textbook of clinical immunology for which he was co-editor for over 20 years. It wasn’t long after they met that Shearer told him, “I’m here in the office 364 days each year. I usually take Christmas day off.”

“No one worked harder or was more dedicated to his patients and trainees than Dr. Shearer,” Kline said. “His passion was always around making life better for the patients and the families that he served. I learned an enormous amount from him during the formative stages of my career development. He was a mentor and friend for nearly 30 years, and I will miss him tremendously.”

Shearer’s illustrious career became widely known when he assumed the role as the primary physician for Texas Children’s most famous patient, David “The Bubble Boy” Vetter, which led to revolutionary immunologic discoveries. His mother, Carol Ann Demaret, delivered a heartfelt tribute to Shearer.

“Many families such as mine who have been so intensely affected by the science he dedicated his life’s work to will never forget Dr. Shearer,” Demaret said. “Lives exist because of him, and a whole world of happiness. I know, because I have embraced many of the children and young adults myself. Dr. Shearer, we will keep and protect your memories forever in our hearts and in our souls.”

Guest speakers who delivered touching tributes to Shearer included Drs. Tom Fleisher, Morey Haymond, Celine Hanson, Jennifer Pate and Kristy Murray.

After the memorial service, guests attended a reception where pictures, awards and memorabilia with Shearer were displayed including a booklet that contained many tributes his colleagues and trainees had written to him over the years. Following the reception, a ribbon cutting and tour officially opened the William T. Shearer Center for Human Immunobiology located on the third floor of Feigin Tower.

Click here to watch a video tribute of Shearer in his own words.

November 6, 2018

On Friday, November 9, Texas Children’s will celebrate the legacy of Dr. William T. Shearer, an internationally respected leader, clinician, investigator and mentor in pediatric immunology and HIV/AIDS.

Dr. Shearer was the founder and former chief of the Allergy and Immunology Service at Texas Children’s Hospital and served as a leader of this section for 34 years. Shearer also served as a faculty member in the Department of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine for 40 years.

Shearer is recognized as a legend in the field of allergy and immunology. One of the things he is best known for was providing innovative care to Texas Children’s most famous patient – David “The Bubble Boy” Vetter – which led to numerous revolutionary immunologic discoveries.

In memory of Shearer’s life and notable accomplishments, employees and staff are invited to attend a memorial service this Friday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. in the first-floor conference room at Feigin Tower.

The ceremony will include several tributes from Shearer’s colleagues at Texas Children’s and Baylor, including remarks from Carol Ann Demaret, the mother of David Vetter. A special video tribute also will be presented to honor the late Shearer who passed away last month at the age of 81. After the memorial service, there will be a reception and tour of the William T. Shearer Center for Human Immunobiology at Feigin Tower.

Click here for more details on the memorial service.

Please note: The Feigin driveway will be closed to traffic during the memorial service. Employees are encouraged to use the second-floor bridge to access Feigin Tower.

October 10, 2018

The medical community lost a legend on October 9, 2018, with the death of Dr. William T. Shearer, founder and former chief of the Allergy and Immunology Service at Texas Children’s Hospital and professor of Pediatrics and Immunology at Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Shearer was 81.

Shearer was an internationally-respected leader in the field of allergy and immunology. One of the things he is best known for was providing innovative care to Texas Children’s most famous patient – David “The Bubble Boy” Vetter – which led to revolutionary immunologic discoveries.

Throughout his lengthy career, Shearer pursued his passions in basic and clinical research in primary and secondary immunodeficiency with continuous funding from the National Institutes of Health during his 40-year tenure at Texas Children’s. He authored over 500 journal articles and textbook chapters, and was the editor-in-chief of the world’s premier textbook of clinical immunology for more than 20 years.

Shearer served in leadership positions with virtually every major professional organization concerned with patient care, training and research in pediatric immunology and HIV/AIDS. He was active in clinical research for children with HIV infection and participated in numerous pioneering studies in the prevention and treatment of the disease and its complications. Shearer was passionate about this work and continuously pursued research in this area until his passing.

For many who knew him, Shearer was described by his colleagues as an incredibly compassionate mentor. Throughout his career, he mentored 117 trainees as the Program Director of the Allergy and Immunology Fellowship Training Program at Texas Children’s and Baylor College of Medicine.

“It was my good fortune to work side-by-side with Dr. Shearer for many years,” said Texas Children’s Physician-in-Chief Dr. Mark W. Kline. “No one worked harder or was more dedicated to his patients and trainees than Bill. I learned an enormous amount from him during the formative stages of my career development. He was a mentor and friend for nearly 30 years, and I will miss him tremendously.”

Shearer received many prestigious awards for his work as a clinician, researcher and mentor including a Research Scholar Award from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, a Faculty Research Award from the American Cancer Society, and the Arnold J. Rudolph – Baylor Pediatric Award for Lifetime Excellence in Teaching. In addition to these accolades, Shearer received the 2017 Clinical Immunology Society Distinguished Service Award.

“It is truly an honor to be able to witness the incredible passion and productivity of this international leader, eminent immunologist, superlative teacher and incredibly compassionate mentor,” said Dr. Carla Davis, chief of Immunology, Allergy and Rheumatology Service at Texas Children’s. “We will all miss him dearly.”

Because of Shearer’s care of David Vetter, he and the late Dr. Ralph D. Feigin wanted to create a lasting tribute in David’s memory, the David Vetter Memorial Fund. The David’s Dream Run was founded by the David Elementary School and the Parent Teacher Organization to support this Memorial Fund.

Click here to make a donation to the David Vetter Memorial Fund in memory of Dr. Shearer. Donations made in memory of Dr. Shearer will benefit the Memorial Fund which is dedicated to research, diagnosis and treatment of immune deficiencies.