He graduated from Vanderbilt with an M. D. The Zerfoss Student Health Center at Vanderbilt bears his name. A plaque upon it reads "Named in honor of Thomas Bowman Zerfoss Sr., M.D. ... physician, guide, philosopher and friend to Vanderbilt students for more than 40 years."[3] Zerfoss was Vanderbilt's athletic director from 1940 to 1944. During the nationwide anti-tuberculosis campaign, Vanderbilt issued a mandatory tuberculosis screening of all students in 1948. Students complied by making appointments for chest X-rays with Zerfoss.[4]