Arvind Madhav Dhople

Arvind Madhav Dhople of Melbourne, Florida, passed away unexpectedly but peacefully on November 10, 2025, at the age of 88. Born and raised in Mumbai, India, Arvind was always the first in his class and strived to be his best self. He earned his undergraduate degree and Master's degree in organic chemistry, followed by a Ph.D. degree in biochemistry all within only ten years. He then went on to do research in leprosy which led him to a postdoctoral fellowship at Johns Hopkins University in 1963 at the School of Hygiene and Public Health. A year later while working near Chennai, he met Padmini and they wed in December 1966. They took the bold step of moving to Baltimore, Maryland in late 1969 where Arvind continued his research studies on leprosy at Johns Hopkins. Both Anita and Anil were born in Baltimore before Arvind took a job in 1980 as Associate Professor and Director of the Infectious Diseases Laboratory at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Florida. They purchased their forever home in Satellite Beach and Arvind remained at FIT until his retirement in 2007. During his career he authored approximately 150 peer-reviewed research publications, and traveled internationally for numerous scientific meetings, including the World Health Organization, as an expert in leprosy research.

After retirement, Arvind volunteered at the heart center at the local hospital until 2020 and was a fixture in his neighborhood with his daily walks. He and Padmini enjoyed several international trips and a cruise to Alaska. While always a quiet man of few words, his thoughts always flowed through his writing where Arvind was able to continue his work with research and science by writing dozens of articles on the topics of healthy living and keys to longevity for local Melbourne magazines and newspapers with the goal of helping the community.

What brought Arvind immeasurable joy in his retirement years was his three granddaughters, Maya (Anita), Amira and Alaina (Anil). Arvind cherished his title of "Ajja" and always lit up during his time with the girls and was proud of all of their accomplishments. Arvind will be missed by 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.