Dr. Spear completed his medical school training at the University of Chicago, his General Surgery residency at Harvard Medical School, and his Plastic Surgery residency at the University of Miami. Dr. Spear was a former Professor of Surgery at Georgetown where he was founding chairman of the Department of Plastic Surgery at Georgetown University Hospital and past president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeon (ASPS). 

Over the course of his career he published over 250 papers and chapters, participated in over 900 invited lectures, panels, and courses, and authored 3 editions of the seminal textbook, Surgery of the Breast: Principles and Art.  Dr Spear referred to this work in nipple sparing mastectomy as his most important legacy in plastic surgery. A magazine article called him "the man who saved a million nipples (and counting)." Dr. Spear was the breast section editor for the Journal of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and his opinions were sought and featured in many media forums, such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, National Public Radio, CNN, ABC, NBC, FOX, and CBS.