Former Buffalo, N.Y.-based Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center president and CEO Thomas Tomasi Jr., MD, PhD, died March 23 at age 97.
Dr. Tomasi served as the cancer center’s president and CEO from 1986 to 1996, according to a March 28 tribute from Roswell Park.
During his time at Roswell Park, Dr. Tomasi secured investment from New York state for the center’s Major Modernization Project which “transformed an outdated campus into a vibrant, state-of-the-art center,” in 1992, the release said.
He was an “accomplished immunologist” throughout his career and led the discovery of secretory immunoglobulin A. He also served as preceptor to more than 70 pre- and postdoctoral fellows.
“His leadership enabled Roswell Park to solidify its place at the forefront of cancer treatment, research and education,” Cindy Eller, senior vice president and chief development officer at Roswell Park, said in the release.
