In Remembrance
William T. Tse, MD February 27, 1954 – March 12, 2025
Dr. William Tse, renowned for his groundbreaking CAR T-cell research program that revolutionized how we fight childhood cancers, passed away at home in Louisville on March 12, 2025.
Growing up in Hong Kong as one of four siblings, he was focused on academics and honing his musical skills playing the violin and the harmonica. Dr. Tse’ s academic journey in America began at Yale College, where he graduated in 1977 with both an undergraduate and graduate degree in science. He went on to earn his medical degree from the University of Hong Kong, and then returned to Yale for his master’ s in public health and a PhD in human genetics.
Bill then completed both a genetics fellowship and his pediatric residency at Lucile Packard Children’ s Hospital at Stanford. He then went on to complete a pediatric hematology / oncology fellowship at Children’ s Hospital Boston and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, where he remained on faculty until his move to Chicago and Northwestern University.
Dr. Tse’ s innovative work in bone marrow transplantation and stem cell therapies at Lurie Children’ s Hospital transformed the treatment of severe combined immune deficiency( SCID). His development of a reduced-intensity transplant approach turned SCID from a fatal diagnosis into a curable condition, vastly improving survival rates and quality of life for affected children.
We were thrilled to recruit Dr. Tse to the Department of Pediatrics here at the University of Louisville School of Medicine and Norton Children’ s Hospital in 2018. He served as the director of the Pediatric
Bone Marrow Transplant Program and established a very successful research enterprise.
Bill’ s strong belief that our work could transform children’ s lives guided his career.“ We do this because it is a rewarding experience. We can make a difference,” he once said. His ongoing studies at the time of his death, a multi-center Phase 3 trial in acute leukemias and a chemotherapy-free bone marrow transplant approach for sickle cell disease, are testaments to his unwavering commitment to advancing pediatric medicine. He was also in the midst of groundbreaking research around CAR-T therapies for brain tumors in children. This work is being carried on in his name and will continue to transform the lives of children for years to come.
Beyond the difference his work in the lab made, Dr. Tse was first and foremost focused on the physical and emotional well-being of his patients. The stories patients and families shared of him coming to a bedside at 2 a. m. because someone just needed him to be there and hold their hand brought tears to many eyes at his celebration of life. Years after treating an infant with SCID with a BMT, this young man, at age 3, trick-or-treated at Halloween as his hero, Dr. Tse. This patient, who is now in grade school, spoke eloquently of Dr. Tse and summarized how we are all feeling.“ He will be missed.”
While his loss is deeply felt, Dr. Tse’ s impact endures in the lives he saved, the medical advances he helped realize and the research he set in motion. He has set a high bar; we will strive every day to live up to his standards, and achieve his vision for a world without pediatric cancer.
-Kimberly Boland, MD
Dr. Tse had been a member of GLMS since 2019.
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