MD Class of 1982

Jay S. Loeffler ’82 MD, of Naples, Fla., formerly of Waban, Mass.; June 22, after a brief illness. He was a renowned leader in the field of cancer treatment. For 20 years, he served as chair of radiation oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and was the Herman and Joan Suit professor emeritus and professor of neurosurgery at Harvard Medical School (HMS). He attended Williams College and Brown’s Warren Alpert Medical School and completed his training at the Harvard Joint Center for Radiation Therapy, where he served as chief resident. His interest in neuro-oncology led him to become an attending physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Dana Farber Cancer Institute, where he became the founding director of the Brain Tumor Center. In 1996, he was recruited to MGH to be the director of the Francis Burr Proton Therapy Center, which at the time was only the second proton center in the country. His leadership led to his becoming chair of the department of radiation oncology at MGH, where he expanded the department by hiring and mentoring a diverse faculty. He just recently retired from MGH after holding leadership roles for 25 years. After retirement he continued his clinical work at Inspire Oncology in Naples, Fla. Through his pioneering work, he catalyzed the development of specialized radiation delivery technologies that have been widely adopted and that have resulted in cancer therapies that have led to meaningful improvements in quality of life and increased survival for those with cancer. He authored more than 400 scientific publications and was coeditor of nine cancer textbooks. He was a member of the National Academy of Medicine, the American Society for Radiation Oncology, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a Fellow of the American College of Radiology. He was the recipient of numerous awards and honors. He and his wife, whom he met while both were residents, shared a passion for medicine and science. They were devoted to curing adults and children with cancer. He enjoyed traveling, history, and reading. An athlete, he played many sports and was an avid sports fan but especially enjoyed golf and baseball. He is survived by his wife, Dr. Nancy Tarbell; three children; a grandson; his mother; a sister; and a brother. 

Thomas McCauley ’82 MD, of Narragansett, R.I.; May 31. He completed his ophthalmology residency at Yale. In addition to his ophthalmology private practice, he was a clinical assistant professor of surgery at Brown. He is survived by his partner, Michele Palazzolo, and several cousins.