Pearce followed in his grandfather William Lanier Pearce's footsteps to become a doctor, beginning his medical training at USF.

June 12, 2023

Though he was exceptionally accomplished — an emergency room physician, an advocate for physicians and patients, a patent holder, even a triathlete — William Pearce, MD ’16, was by all accounts humble.

“If you were to ask him what he was most proud of, he probably would tell you he didn’t know,” said his wife, Dr. Michaelia Sunderland. “I think what he found most enjoyable was helping the people in his community through COVID.”

Pearce spent the first two years after his residency treating some of the sickest COVID-19 patients as an emergency room physician in and around his hometown of Jacksonville, Florida. Many were people he had grown up with or their relatives.

When Sunderland was struggling to cope with the uncertainty early in the pandemic, before there were treatments or vaccines or even enough personal protective equipment to go around, Pearce reassured her they were exactly where they were supposed to be. 

“I think for me, that will always help inspire me when I’m afraid to do the hard, scary things,” she said. “There is always going to be something that scares us, but he was fearless.”

That feeling is shared by many of Pearce’s USF Health Morsani College of Medicine classmates. When he died in February at age 35 after a brief battle with a rare and aggressive form of esophageal cancer, they rallied to ensure his legacy as a physician, classmate and friend would continue to inspire. In May, they renamed the Class of 2016 scholarship in his honor.

“He’s still a role model for me, and I feel he can be a role model for everyone,” said Trish Dinh, MD ’16. “I hope when a student receives a scholarship with his name, they think of him and strive to be the best soon-to-be doctor they can be."

Vignesh Doraiswamy, a friend from the Class of 2015, said it’s difficult to think about how much more Pearce may have accomplished.

“That’s the biggest loss,” he said. “He kind of did it all in a relatively short time. It’s truly remarkable.”

Pearce followed in his grandfather’s footsteps to become a doctor, beginning his medical training at USF.

Doraiswamy met him when Pearce visited the college for a Second Look event. Pearce stayed at Doraiswamy’s apartment during the two-day event for accepted students to interact with one another and faculty/staff.

“From the start, you could tell this was a guy who not only wanted to be a great doctor but wanted to advance the rights of physicians and patients and be an advocate for them,” he said.

In 2013, Pearce paused his education to serve as the Government Relations Advocacy Fellow for the American Medical Association. Only one student from across the U.S. is chosen for the yearlong appointment in Washington, D.C., each year.

In addition to his advocacy work on behalf of patients and physicians, Pearce was interested in research. By the time he graduated, he’d already invented and patented a urethral catheter. 

He completed his residency in emergency medicine at Tampa General Hospital, which would be life-changing in more ways than one. During orientation, he met Sunderland, who was also beginning residency at TGH. They quickly moved from friends, to dating, to love.

“He was one of those people who threw his heart into things 1,000 percent,” said Sunderland.

He went on to work as an independent emergency room physician with the ERG Group in the Baptist Medical Center System in and around Jacksonville, coming back to Tampa on his days off to spend time with Sunderland.

He also returned to another passion: triathlons. He ran track at the University of Florida and the University of North Florida, winning five conference championships and was twice named  Scholar-Athlete of the Year. When he returned to the sport, he was invited by USA Triathlon to compete at its highest level — as a certified elite athlete.

He and Sunderland were married in May 2022, and the newlyweds moved to Dallas in August 2022 for Sunderland to complete a hand surgery fellowship.

Sunderland said Pearce was always in a good mood. An “extroverted introvert,” he preferred quiet evenings in and weekends exploring secluded beaches, fishing or kayaking.

“Even though he was really good at talking to anyone about anything, his happy place was out in nature,” said Sunderland.

Both Dinh and Pearce started with the Class of 2015, and Pearce was one of the first classmates Dinh befriended. She remembers his sense of humor best and a competitive spirit focused on achieving his own personal bests. 

“Will was the epitome of what a doctor should be — someone who is humble, who is generous, who is thoughtful, who seeks to help regardless of socioeconomic status, who is a go-getter and perseveres, who is dedicated to healing and helping others,” she said.

That will continue, thanks to the MD Class of 2016 William L. Pearce III Memorial Scholarship. 

“His dream was to help people through medicine. He and I came from very humble backgrounds and had a lot of people who supported us,” said Sunderland. “I know he would find this so meaningful and be grateful.”