Tomaszewski Stepping Down as Head of Pathology

Dear Jacobs School community,

It is with great appreciation that I thank John E. Tomaszewski, MD, a SUNY Distinguished Professor, for his outstanding contributions since 2011 as Peter A. Nickerson, PhD Professor and Chair of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences (PAS) at the Jacobs School and chief of service for Kaleida Health Laboratories. As he steps down from these roles, effective July 1, we extend our deepest gratitude for his outstanding contributions and wish him all the best in his future endeavors.

Dr. Tomaszewski's research focuses on translational genitourinary pathology. Over the past decade, he has collaborated with image scientists to develop quantitative image analysis tools for digital pathology. His vision of "fused diagnostics" combines high-resolution image analysis with multidimensional molecular data to support personalized predictive modeling of disease and therapy response. Under Dr Tomaszewski’s leadership PAS has developed novel PhD and MS programs in Computational Cell Biology, Anatomy, and Pathology to train the workforce which will build this vision into a reality.

His specialty areas include renal, immuno- and urological pathology. He provides diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic advice on medical and surgical diseases of the kidney, bladder, prostate, and testis.

Dr. Tomaszewski has been a central figure in the regional testing response to COVID-19, overseeing technology, logistics and the education of physicians and the community on COVID-19 laboratory testing. He was honored with the Gold Foundation Champion of Humanistic Care Award for his leadership as chief of service at Kaleida Health Laboratories. Under his guidance, the team established the region’s most extensive SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid testing program. In collaboration with the clinical labs of the Erie County Medical Center (ECMC), they performed hundreds of thousands of nucleic acid tests for COVID-19. In March 2020, they swiftly expanded regional testing capacity and implemented multiple COVID-19 testing platforms. This included a lab that developed tests using instrument assets loaned from the UB Biorepository.

Dr. Tomaszewski views the integrated practice of pathology and laboratory medicine in WNY as an opportunity for advancing both patient access to care and for improving care quality. In his partnerships with Kaleida Health and ECMC he has set the groundwork for creating a robust regional reference laboratory which will accomplish these goals.

He has served as a UB faculty representative on the State University of New York (SUNY) Distinguished Academy Board. Named a SUNY Distinguished Professor in 2017, he is internationally renowned for his research in pathology and the development of quantitative image analysis tools for digital pathology and automated cancer diagnostics.

An active educator, Dr. Tomaszewski has taught nephropathology and genitourinary pathology to undergraduate medical students. He has also been involved in numerous pathology societies, serving in various leadership roles and as a speaker. His volunteer work includes contributions to SPIE, USCAP, CAP, API, ASIP, ICPI and APC. Notably, from 2010-2011 he served as the President of the American Society for Clinical Pathology   which is the world’s largest society representing pathologists and clinical laboratory professionals.

Raised in Philadelphia, Dr. Tomaszewski received his undergraduate education from LaSalle College and his MD from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He completed his Pathology Residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, with special concentrations in immunology, HLA testing, and nephropathology. He joined the faculty at the University of Pennsylvania in 1983 and rose through the ranks to become professor, vice chair for anatomic pathology-hospital services, and interim chair of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine.

We extend our deepest gratitude to Dr. Tomaszewski for his exceptional leadership and contributions to the field of pathology. His dedication and vision have significantly advanced our department and the broader medical community.

Dr. Tomaszewski will continue in his roles while we initiate the search for the next chair of the Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, with Marc Halterman, MD, PhD, senior associate dean and executive director for the Office of Research, chairing the search committee.

Best wishes,

Allison Brashear, MD, MBA
Vice President for Health Sciences and
Dean, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
University at Buffalo
President and CEO, UBMD Physicians’ Group