Dr. Jimmy L. Simon, 1930-2020

Friday, June 12, 2020

Dr. Jimmy L. SimonJimmy L. Simon, MD, Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, died June 4, 2020.

Certified in General Pediatrics, Dr. Simon was a volunteer with the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) for more than 20 years, starting as an oral examiner. He also served on the ABP Board of Directors, Long-Range Planning Committee, Strategic Planning Committee, Joint Committee with the Association of Medical School Pediatric Department Chairs (AMSPDC), and the Certifying Examination Committee.

“Dr. Simon is best known as a consummate educator and pediatrician,” said Allison McBride, MD, Interim Chair of the Wake Forest School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics. “To the thousands of students and residents he taught over the course of his career, he was known for his no-nonsense demeanor, his focus on the highest quality education, his devotion to children, and his advancement of the profession.

A native of San Francisco, Dr. Simon earned his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and his medical degree from the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine. In 1974, he joined North Carolina Baptist Hospital as Chair of Pediatrics.

In addition to his ABP volunteerism, Dr. Simon also served in other national roles during his distinguished career, including as chair of the Council on Pediatric Education (COPE) for the American Academy of Pediatrics and as a site reviewer for the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). The North Carolina Pediatric Society created an award to annually recognize an academic pediatrician for outstanding efforts to improve the health and wellness of children in our state — the award is named after Dr. Simons and three other renowned pediatrics department chairs in North Carolina.

He received many prestigious awards, including the 1996 Joseph St. Geme, Jr. Award given to an outstanding pediatric educator from the Federation of Pediatric Organizations (FOPO); the 2019 Medical Alumni Association’s Distinguished Faculty Award from Wake Forest School of Medicine; and the 2019 Order of the Long Leaf Pine Award from the Governor of North Carolina.

In memory of Dr. Simon, contributions may be made through Philanthropy and Alumni Relations, Wake Forest Baptist Health, PO Box 571021, Winston-Salem, NC 27157.

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