Gail Ina Greenberg Shapiro (January 11, 1947 – August 25, 2006) was an American

pediatric Pediatrics ( also spelled ''paediatrics'' or ''pædiatrics'') is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, paediatrics covers many of their youth until the ...

allergist An allergist is a physician specially trained to manage and treat allergies, asthma and the other allergic diseases. They may also be called immunologists. Becoming an allergist Becoming an allergist/immunologist requires completion of at leas ...

based in Seattle. She was a faculty member at the

University of Washington School of Medicine The University of Washington School of Medicine (UWSOM) is a large public medical school in the northwest United States, located in Seattle and affiliated with the University of Washington. According to ''U.S. News & World Report''s 2022 Best Grad ...

. In 2001, she became the first democratically elected president of 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 nearly 6,800 allergist/ immunologists and related professionals around the world with advanced training and experien ...

(AAAAI).

Biography

Shapiro was born Gail Ina Greenberg in 1947 to Jay and Roberta Greenberg. She was born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

and raised in

Syosset, New York Syosset (also known as Little East Woods or Locust Grove) is a hamlet and census-designated place in the Town of Oyster Bay, in Nassau County, on the North Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 19,259 at the 202 ...

. She studied at

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

before completing a medical degree at

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hem ...

in 1970. She completed her pediatric internship at Johns Hopkins before moving to

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

to finish her pediatric residency and fellowship in allergy at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle a ...

. She began working as a board-certified allergist at Northwest Asthma & Allergy Center in 1974. She went on to become a senior partner at the center and worked there for the rest of her career. In addition to working in private practice, Shapiro was a clinical professor of pediatrics at the

. She performed research into the use of

antihistamine Antihistamines are drugs which treat allergic rhinitis, common cold, influenza, and other allergies. Typically, people take antihistamines as an inexpensive, generic (not patented) drug that can be bought without a prescription and provides re ...

s and other drugs used in the treatment of allergic disease, as well as possible triggers of asthma in children. In the 1990s, she was involved in establishing and distributing new guidelines for the diagnosis of asthma. She also served on an expert panel for asthma treatment for the

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) is the third largest Institute of the National Institutes of Health, located in Bethesda, Maryland, United States. It is tasked with allocating about $3.6 billion in FY 2020 in tax revenue to ...

. In 2001, she became the first democratically elected president of the

(AAAAI). Shapiro died on August 25, 2006, aged 59, while undergoing heart surgery in Seattle. In October 2006, the

American Academy of Pediatrics The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is an American professional association of pediatricians, headquartered in Itasca, Illinois. It maintains its Department of Federal Affairs office in Washington, D.C. Background The Academy was founded ...

posthumously awarded her with the Bret Ratner Award for pediatric allergists and immunologists. In 2009, the AAAAI established the Gail G. Shapiro Clinical Faculty Award for specialists in allergy and immunology.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shapiro, Gail G. 1947 births 2006 deaths American pediatricians American immunologists Physicians from Seattle People from Brooklyn People from Syosset, New York University of Washington faculty Johns Hopkins School of Medicine alumni Brown University alumni Women pediatricians Women medical researchers Scientists from New York (state) Allergologists