It is with sadness we report the passing of Dr. Arvind Madhav Dhople, the distinguished infectious disease expert and professor emeritus whose research into leprosy brought him to Florida Tech for what would become a 27-year career. The Melbourne resident passed away Nov. 10 at age 88.
Born and raised in Mumbai, India, Dr. Dhople earned undergraduate and master’s degrees in organic chemistry, followed by a Ph.D. in biochemistry. He then began his leprosy research, and that led him to a postdoctoral fellowship at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1963.
Six years later, and now married, Dr. Dhople and his wife, Padmini, returned to Johns Hopkins, where he continued his leprosy research. While there, the couple became a family with the birth of their daughter, Anita, and son, Anil.
In 1980, Dr. Dhople came to Melbourne, where he was hired as associate professor and director of the infectious diseases laboratory at Florida Tech. For the next 13 years, he worked with another distinguished scientist at the university, Eleanor Storrs, on research and experiments on leprosy (using armadillos) and other infectious diseases.
When Storrs retired in 1993, Dr. Dhople continued the program for about six months and then arranged for it to be transferred to another institution. He would remain at Florida Tech until his retirement in 2007, conducting research, traveling internationally to share his expertise in leprosy, and working with key agencies, including the World Health Organization. He authored about 150 peer-reviewed research publications during his time at Florida Tech.
In retirement, he volunteered at a local hospital, traveled with his wife, and remained engaged with science and research though writing articles on healthy living for area publications. What brought Dr. Dhople “immeasurable joy,” according to his obituary, were his three grandchildren.
Survivors include his wife of nearly 59 years, Padmini, sister Sunanda of Mumbai, daughter Anita (Rick), son Anil (Pamela) and granddaughters, as well as numerous nieces and nephews both in India and the United States.
