Roswell Park Appoints New Leaders From Both Within and Outside the Cancer Institute

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Seven senior employees are serving in new roles at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. While five of these program leaders were promoted or re-appointed, two have newly joined the Institute from other centers.

Charles LeVea, MD, PhD, has been appointed Chair of the Roswell Park Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, following a national search. Dr. LeVea, who had served as Interim Chair of the department for about a year, was recruited to Roswell Park as an Assistant Professor of Oncology in 2003. Since then, he was appointed as the Director of Surgical Pathology, Associate Professor of Oncology and Vice Chair of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine/Director of Anatomic Pathology. Dr. LeVea, who also holds a faculty appointment at the University at Buffalo’s Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, also sits on the UB Residency Advisory Committee, UB Pathology Residency Program Admissions Committee and UB Executive Council. He holds an MD from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania and a master's degree from the University of Rochester. Dr. LeVea also completed a fellowship at the James P. Wilmot Cancer Center.

Gissou Azabdaftari, MD, was named Clinical Chief of Cytopathology. Dr. Azabdaftari joined Roswell Park’s staff in 2010 and today holds a joint appointment as an Associate Professor of Oncology within the Departments of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine and Urology. She works closely with the Institute’s clinicians to streamline processes to provide faster diagnoses for patients. Dr. Azabdaftari is the head of Roswell Park’s Genitourinary Pathology program. She also leads the Institute’s Cytopathology Fellowship Program and its collaborative cytotechnology master’s degree program with Daemen College. Dr. Azabdaftari completed her education and training at the University of Bologna in Italy, served her residency at Tufts-New England Medical Center, and completed fellowships at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School.

Amy Case, MD, has been named the inaugural Chair of the Department of Supportive Care at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Case also holds joint appointments as the Palliative Medicine Fellowship program director for the University at Buffalo and as an Associate Professor in UB’s Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine. She serves as the chair of an education special interest group for the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM). Dr. Case holds an MD from the University at Buffalo and completed a fellowship in palliative and pain medicine at Beth Israel Medical Center.

Holly Bowser, MBA, CMPE, is the new Vice President of Organizational Performance Improvement. Before coming to Roswell Park, she worked as a vice president at Catholic Health, where she launched successful neuroscience and vascular service lines. Bowser brings over 20 years of experience in healthcare. She holds an MBA degree from St. Bonaventure University and a bachelor’s degree in nuclear medicine technology from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania.

Thomas Summerill, MBA, MHSA, is the new Executive Director of Payer Relations. He joins Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center from the University of Maryland Quality Care Network, where he served as the Executive Director. He brings over 30 years of experience working with payers, physicians and healthcare systems. Summerill holds bachelor’s, MBA and Master of Health Services Administration degrees from the University of Florida. 

Sara Randolph was named Director of Payer Relations. She has been at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center for three years, working as Administrator of Managed Care Operations. As part of the Managed Care team, she has significantly advanced the cancer center’s relationships with local, regional and national health plans and other stakeholders.

David Tear, MBA, has rejoined Roswell Park after a brief absence, in the new position of Senior Executive Director for Disease Site Strategy Group Implementation and Management. Tear, whose past experience includes roles with Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Long Island College Hospital, served as Executive Director of Ambulatory Care Services at Roswell Park from 2014-2016. In his new role as a member of the Business Development leadership team, Tear supervises all ambulatory operations at Roswell Park with a focus on care quality, patient relations and regulatory compliance. He holds an MBA from the Zicklin School of Business at Bernard M. Baruch College and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Fordham University.

“It’s exciting to see our team grow with the addition and promotion of such accomplished professionals,” says Candace Johnson, PhD, President and CEO of Roswell Park. “Their experience and unique talents are helping us advance our mission.  I’m looking forward to what we’ll be able to accomplish together.”

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About Roswell Park

The mission of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center is to understand, prevent and cure cancer. Founded in 1898, Roswell Park is one of the first cancer centers in the country to be named a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center and remains the only facility with this designation in Upstate New York. The Institute is a member of the prestigious National Comprehensive Cancer Network, an alliance of the nation’s leading cancer centers; maintains affiliate sites; and is a partner in national and international collaborative programs. For more information, visit www.roswellpark.org, call 1-800-ROSWELL (1-800-767-9355) or email AskRoswell@Roswellpark.org. Follow Roswell Park on Facebook and Twitter.