Thomas S. Ely received his MD from Georgetown University in 1948 and an MS in Radiation Biology and Occupation Medicine from the University of Rochester in 1963. Beginning in 1943, Dr. Ely served in the U.S. Navy until he joined the Medical Branch in the Department of Biology and Medicine, U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) in 1956. He left AEC in 1962 to become a professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. Dr. Ely joined the Eastman Kodak Company in 1963 and retired as Director of the Occupational Health Laboratory in 1986. Dr. Ely is an independent consultant in the field of radiation safety.

He is a member of several organizations including the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American College of Preventive Medicine, the Bioelectromagnetics Society, and the American College of Occupational and Environment Medicine. Dr. Ely became a member of Council in 1970 and was elected as a Distinguished Emeritus member in 1994.