When Tom received a Parkinson’s diagnosis in 2006, like many, he was unsure about sharing it with others. But he realized that his experience could help advance critical connections in the drive for a cure. So he called MJFF Co-Founder and Executive Vice Chairman Deborah W. Brooks. Together, they revealed his diagnosis on stage at an industry conference with 700 colleagues, encouraging them to prioritize PD treatments and to remember patients and their loved ones as they went about this work.  

Throughout his professional and personal life, Tom promoted collaboration among the healthcare industry, researchers, patients and families. He held a PhD in biochemistry from University of Connecticut and rose to senior leadership in several pharmaceutical organizations. Before his retirement in 2009, he served as vice president of global strategic alliances at Schering Plough (now Merck & Co.). His guidance was instrumental to Merck becoming one of the first industry partners of Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI), a landmark MJFF clinical study for the purpose of discovering and validating risk factors for Parkinson’s disease (PD) launched in 2010.

As a member of the Patient Council, he lent his expertise to translating the successes, failures and challenges of developing new treatments with patients. The council recalled how Tom often spoke about how important it was to his life, so much so that he was packed and ready three days ahead of the previous meeting.