Dennis Templeton, MD, PhD
It is with great sadness that we share the news that Dennis Templeton, MD, PhD, professor emeritus and former chair of the Department of Pathology passed away on February 12, 2026, while on a sailing trip in Thailand. Dr. Templeton served as the Walter Reed Professor and chair of the Department of Pathology from 2001 until 2012.
Dr. Templeton completed his undergraduate studies at Claremont McKenna College and earned his MD and PhD at the University of California San Diego. He pursued his residency training in Anatomic Pathology at New England Deaconess followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at the Whitehead Institute. Dr. Templeton began his faculty career at Case Western Reserve University where he made seminal discoveries in the field of cell signaling, as the first to identify the core players in the stress signaling cascade. He rose through the ranks to tenured full professor and also served as associate director for Basic Research for the CWRU Cancer Center for three years before relocating his lab to the UVA School of Medicine to take the chair position.
Over the course of his 25-year faculty career, Dr. Templeton delved into diverse areas of cancer biology research including redox regulation of cell signaling, mechanisms of action for cancer preventive compounds, differential labeling for quantification of mass spectrometry and tumor immunology. His scientific legacy includes not just his publications but the many trainees whose lives were changed by the time spent in his lab.
While chair of the UVA Department of Pathology, Dr. Templeton established the Molecular and Cellular Basis of Disease graduate program that confers the PhD in Experimental Pathology. In addition to providing a highly translational training environment for the students, the program became the graduate program home for many of our translational researchers whose primary appointments are in clinical departments. In parallel, he built up the research enterprise in pathology and recruited many new research and clinical faculty who have since served as leaders in the department, the institution, and the community. He also paid it forward by serving as associate director of the Medical Scientist Training Program (MD/PhD program) for nearly 10 years.
After retiring from UVA in 2014, Dr. Templeton spent three years in the United Arab Emirates, where he served as the dean of the UAE University College of Medicine. He subsequently returned to Charlottesville where he enjoyed an active retirement filled with socializing, hiking with friends, and sailing the Chesapeake. His recent adventures included three summers traversing the countryside of France in his canal boat where he hosted many friends who shared part of his journey.
We extend our sincerest condolences to Dr. Templeton’s family and his many friends. Information regarding services is not available at this time.
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