Pearl_Toy

Pearl Toy MD

UCSF School of Medicine

Dr. Pearl Toy is an Internist who specialized in Hematology and Transfusion Medicine and is Professor Emeritus and Blood Bank Director Emeritus at the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine (UCSF). Her work there from 1980-2022 included research, teaching, patient care and volunteer work. Early on in 1981, she was director of the San Francisco Center, one of three centers of a study led by Cladd Stevens, MD to determine the efficacy and safety of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccine; the successful results led to FDA approval of the vaccines that safely prevented transmission of HBV from infected mother to child.1,2 In the AIDS era, she was Director of the American Red Cross in San Jose, CA (1983-84) where she installed preventive measures to help protect the safety of the blood supply prior to the availability of HIV testing. She also investigated autologous blood donation and was Chair of the NIH committee that encouraged the use of autologous blood. In 2003-5, she was Chair of the NIH committee that redefined Transfusion-Related Acute Lung Injury (TRALI), the #1 cause of death from transfusion at that time. She was P.I. of the NIH supported TRALI study at UCSF and Mayo Clinic; the study found the risk factors and the prevention method was successful. She graduated with honors from Smith College (Phi Beta Kappa) and the Stanford School of Medicine (Alpha Omega Alpha). Other honors include the Smith College Medal, UCSF Distinguished Teaching Award, the California Blood Bank Systems Award, and the International Woman in Transfusion Medicine Award. She was invited to speak at the inaugural Margot Kruskall lecture series at Harvard Medical School.


Appearances