Thomas B. Tomasi Jr., Roswell Park president and CEO from 1986 to 1996, dies at 97

Thomas B. Tomasi Jr., who led Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center as president and CEO from 1986 to 1996, died March 23 at age 97. His tenure marked a renaissance at Roswell Park that elevated it to a place among the nation’s top cancer centers.

The pinnacle of his leadership was the Major Modernization Project, which transformed an outdated campus into a vibrant, state-of-the-art center supported by significant investment from New York State. Dr. Tomasi told The Buffalo News in 1992 that the staff could now “look forward to a facility commensurate with their talent and renown.” 

But he made it clear that Roswell Park’s rise required more than brick and mortar, prioritizing the recruitment of top-flight faculty. He also spearheaded the creation of several Centers of Excellence in areas including immunology, genetics, and molecular biology, as well as new shared resource facilities, bringing striking new capabilities to Roswell Park’s research teams. 

He oversaw the opening of Roswell Park’s first Mammography Center, the addition of Magnetic Resonance Imaging and programs in pain management and AIDS-related malignancies, among others.

He had a clear vision for the future of Roswell Park and a concrete plan for accomplishing it. “I see Roswell-owned satellites outside Buffalo,” he told The Buffalo News in 1993 as he accepted the Citizen of the Year Award. “I see Roswell as a biotechnology industry with more and more contractual agreements with companies around the world.” Both those initiatives were later realized, thanks in large part to the foundations laid by Dr. Tomasi.

An accomplished immunologist, Dr. Tomasi held National Institutes of Health R01 grants for more than 55 years. Early in his career, he led the team that discovered secretory immunoglobulin A, an antibody that protects the body from pathogens. 

His interests later expanded to include the development of an epigenetic tumor vaccine, and more recently to the pathways by which microRNAs regulate immune genes. His affinity for research and love of science prompted him to continue working in his Roswell Park lab into his 90s. He published the last of more than 250 papers in 2023.

During his career, he was a preceptor to more than 70 pre- and postdoctoral fellows and is warmly remembered by the young investigators he supported and encouraged. 

During Dr. Tomasi’s tenure, more than 50 highly respected cancer researchers and physicians were recruited to key positions. His leadership enabled Roswell Park to solidify its place at the forefront of cancer treatment, research and education.

Cindy Eller

“Dr. Tomasi was a highly respected immunologist who had already made fundamental discoveries in the field when I first met him,” said Elizabeth Repasky, the Dr. Lawrence J. Minet Endowed Chair in Immunology and co-leader of the Cancer Stress Biology Program. “He had faith in me at a very early stage of my career and appointed me to a faculty position in the Department of Immunology. He was always interested in my research.”

“He was a role model who truly led by example,” said Sharon Evans, professor of oncology in the Department of Immunology. “You would always see him sitting in the front row of scientific seminars, and he was invariably the first to ask a question. Even when he was CEO, he got up at 4:30 every morning to read the latest articles in Science and Nature.”

Cindy Eller, Roswell Park’s first director of Development, points to the importance of Dr. Tomasi’s efforts to secure Roswell Park’s future and maximize the potential of Roswell Park innovation through charitable donations. The creation of the Roswell Park Alliance Foundation in 1991 made that possible. 

“During his tenure, more than 50 highly respected cancer researchers and physicians were recruited to key positions,” said Eller, who is now senior vice president and chief development officer. “His leadership enabled Roswell Park to solidify its place at the forefront of cancer treatment, research and education.” 

Over the years, Dr. Tomasi held senior faculty positions at prominent medical schools, including chair of the Department of Immunology and an endowed professorship at the Mayo Medical School, and served on the scientific editorial boards of the Journal of Immunology, Journal of Medicine, and Journal of Clinical Investigation, among others. 

He was honored with numerous awards and titles, including the Michael Heidelberger Lectureship at Columbia University and both the George F. Koepf Award for the advancement of medical research and the Pioneer of Science Award from the Hauptman-Woodward Research Institute. He was twice named Citizen of the Year by The Buffalo News and received an honorary doctor of science degree from the State University of New York. He served on the boards of the Trudeau Institute, the Calspan UB Research Center, and the Guthrie Research Institute.

A native of Vermont, Dr. Tomasi earned an AB with highest distinction from Dartmouth College, an MD cum laude from the University of Vermont, and—after serving as chief resident in internal medicine at Columbia—a PhD from The Rockefeller University. 

He returned to the University of Vermont as chair of the Division of Experimental Medicine before coming to Buffalo as the Buswell Professor of Medicine at the University at Buffalo. He served at the Mayo Medical School and later as director of the Cancer Center and Distinguished Professor of Cell Biology at the New Mexico Cancer Center in Albuquerque before coming to Roswell Park. 

He was also a veteran of the U.S. Navy, serving from 1945 to 1946. 

Dr. Tomasi loved music and was a lifelong athlete. An accomplished skier, he raced for Dartmouth College, competed in several adult racing leagues, and continued to downhill ski until age 86. He played a strong game of tennis into his 90s.

The Roswell Park family extends our deep condolences to Dr. Tomasi’s wife, Barbara, and the network of colleagues and loved ones he inspired through his example.