She was born in Vancouver, British Columbia and grew up there. Simons received her BSc and MD from the University of Manitoba. She studied pediatrics and immunology at the University of Washington. 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.[3][1][4]
Simons is a professor in the departments of Pediatrics and Child Health and of Immunology at the University of Manitoba.[3] 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, allergic rhinitis and hives.[1]
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.[4]