Thomas is the Deputy Program Head of the Global Oncology Program at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and an Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Washington, Division of Medical Oncology. He is a principal investigator and a member of the Steering Committee of the Cancer Immunotherapy Trials Network. His major research interests are the pathogenesis and management of virus-associated cancers, including those that occur in the setting of HIV. He conducts clinical and population-based research in the United States and in sub-Saharan Africa focused on the intersection of virology, immunology and cancer with the objective of developing innovative approaches to cancer management in low-resource settings.

Dr. Balmer served as the President, Past President and Board Member of the Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions (formerly Alliance for CME) from 2005 -2012. Dr. Balmer also served on the Board of Directors for the Global Alliance for CME, as the Chair of the Program committee. She represented the Alliance as a Co-Chairman for the 1st China International Conference on Continuing Medical Education. She also served as a speaker at the Annual Meeting of the Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions, The Association for Medical Education in Europe (AMEE), and other continuing meetings such as the CME Industry Task Force Meeting, the CME Congress and other selected organizations. She served as the editor for the Best Practices in CME Handbook distributed by the Alliance for CME for 7 years.