Ernest L. ‘Gary’ Rosato, surgeon, teacher, and hospital leader, dies at 57
He was chief of the Division of General Surgery, and founder and director of the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital Gastroesophageal Center.
Ernest L. “Gary” Rosato, 57, of Bryn Mawr, an accomplished surgeon, inspiring teacher, and humble hospital leader, died Wednesday, March 17, of glioblastoma at Bryn Mawr Hospital.
A longtime surgeon at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Dr. Rosato had roles in many aspects of hospital life. He was chief of the Division of General Surgery, founder and director of the Jefferson Gastroesophageal Center, and associate director of the Kimmel Cancer Center Oncology Network.
He published more than 85 articles, and was named to the editorial board of the Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery. He served in several professional organizations, and earned grants for a dozen clinical trials.
As a teacher of surgical residents and medical students, he won Jefferson Medical College Dean’s citations for advancement of education, and faculty mentoring; and the university’s Outstanding Clinician Award. Twice he won the Department of Surgery’s Francis E. Rosato Faculty Teaching Award, named after his father, also a surgeon and teacher at Jefferson and the University of Pennsylvania.
As a colleague, husband, father, and friend, Dr. Rosato was known for his “calm demeanor, modesty, competence, skill, kindness and sense of humor,” his family wrote in a tribute. “He represented the best in the medical field and in humanity.”
“I know every woman says her husband was the best,” said his wife, Jeannette. “Mine really was.”
“He represented the best of surgery and Jefferson,” the Jefferson staff wrote in a tribute.
The son of Trudy and Dr. Francis E. Rosato, the former Chair of the Department of Surgery at Jefferson Medical College and Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Dr. Rosato was born on Jan. 10, 1964 in Philadelphia and was the oldest of five.
His family moved to Norfolk, Va., for his father’s work, and he grew up loving water sports on the Chesapeake Bay. He returned to Philadelphia with his family during middle school in 1978, and played football and lacrosse, and was senior class president at Episcopal Academy in 1982.
He earned his bachelor’s degree at the University of Pennsylvania in 1986, and graduated from Jefferson Medical College. He completed his surgical residency at the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in 1996, and joined the faculty in the Department of Surgery.
He became assistant professor in 1998, associate professor in 2005, and full professor of surgery in 2010. In 2011, he repaired a hernia for Cole Hamels, and the Phillies pitcher went a career-best 17-6 the next season. “Gary was the busiest general surgeon at the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital,” the staff wrote.
Dr. Rosato met his wife in 1984 after a lacrosse game at Penn. She was visiting from Indiana University, and transferred to Penn so they could be together. They married in 1987, lived in Ardmore and Bryn Mawr, and together raised sons Francis, Ernest Jr., and daughter Madeline.
Dr. Rosato wasn’t flashy, and he and his wife weren’t big on gifts. They were simply giving and kind to each other every day. He didn’t like public speaking, and he wasn’t great with names. But his colleagues admired his humility and grace, and they chuckled when they heard his laugh echo down the hospital hallway.
He liked to snow ski in Alta, Utah; boat and water ski on the Chesapeake Bay; bike; and play tennis with his family and friends.
“He was a loyal and wonderful husband and father,” his wife said.
In addition to his wife and children, Dr. Rosato is survived by three sisters, one brother, and other relatives.
A public service is to be held on Sunday, May 2, at 11 a.m. at the Springfield Country Club, 400 W. Sproul Rd., Springfield, Pa.
Donations in his name may be made to Thomas Jefferson University, Office of Institutional Advancement Dept. 825434, PO Box 71331, Philadelphia, Pa., 19176-1311.