Josephine (“Pina”) Templeton, a pediatric anesthesiologist at CHOP and member of a prominent philanthropic family in the Philadelphia area, died October 25 of a blood disorder at her home in Bryn Mawr. She was 79.

Dr. Templeton was born on the island of Capri, Italy. Her family moved to the United States when she was nine and settled in Brooklyn, New York. She earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Fordham University in 1961 and a medical degree from the University of Rome in 1968.

Dr. Templeton returned to the US to serve a medical internship and residency at the Medical College of Virginia from 1968 to 1974. After completing a residency in anesthesiology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and a fellowship in pediatric anesthesiology and critical care at CHOP, she accompanied her husband to Virginia when he served in the Navy.

In 1978, she joined the Penn faculty as an assistant professor in anesthesia while serving at CHOP as senior clinical anesthesiologist. She worked at CHOP for 20 years, often serving on surgical teams with her husband, including those that separated conjoined twins. One of a handful of female pediatric anesthesiologists, Dr. Templeton was a role model for other women who aspired to the specialty. In 1981 she became an assistant professor CE and in 1990, an assistant clinical professor. 

In 2017, Dr. Templeton committed $3 million to brain tumor research in a collaborative effort led by CHOP. Her husband had died of brain cancer, and the family hoped to defeat the disease by bringing together medical institutions to study it.

Dr. Templeton and her husband were instrumental in founding the Museum of the American Revolution. She also served on its board. Dr. Templeton was a member of the Union League of Philadelphia and a trustee of its Scholarship Foundation. The Templetons created the Sir John Templeton Heritage Center, the home of the league’s philanthropic arm, and starting in 2017, she funded the Jack Templeton Liberty Lecture Series. She served on the board of Opera Philadelphia, Opportunity International and the Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary.

The Templetons received the 2006 Heroes of Liberty Award from the National Liberty Museum and the 2012 Crystal Award from the Union League. She was honored with the 2015 Special Achievement Award in Philanthropy from the National Italian American Foundation.

She is survived by her daughters, Heather Templeton Dill and Jennifer Templeton Simpson; six grandchildren; and two sisters.