Dr. Peter J Dempsey

Peter Joseph Dempsey was born on September 12, 1940, in New Rochelle, New York, to Celeste and Edward Dempsey. A devout Irish Catholic, Pete received his early education from the nuns at Blessed Sacrament School and the brothers of Iona Preparatory School in New Rochelle, where he played football, basketball, baseball, and ran track.

Pete left New York in 1958 to attend the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, following in the footsteps of two inspiring mentors in his life: his father, Edward Dempsey, and his uncle Chuck Doyle. When he was not busy with his pre-med courses, Pete could be found pursuing his other lifelong passion: music.

After graduating from Notre Dame in 1962, Pete moved on to St. Louis University School of Medicine, where he graduated magna cum laude and was valedictorian of his class. Following medical school, he moved on to Duke University, where he continued his training with a surgical internship. From there, Pete accepted a research position at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), working under the tutelage and strong positive influence of Dr. Ted Cooper, NIH Director. After three years at NIH, he returned to Duke, where he completed his residency in 1974 and stayed on as junior faculty in the Department of Radiology. It was during this time that Pete met his loving wife, Cindy, who was an x-ray technologist at Duke.

In 1975, he was recruited to join the clinical faculty at the University of South Alabama Medical School in Mobile. Four years later he entered private practice in Mobile and developed his strong interest and skills in breast imaging, with a special interest in breast ultrasound. Pete further honed his breast imaging skills through his relationship with Dr. Laszlo Tabar, joining Dr. Tabar as faculty in his teaching courses throughout the United States—all the while becoming well known for his teaching skills in his own right. Dr. Tabar remained his mentor and close friend for the rest of Pete’s life.

After 16 years in private practice in Mobile, Pete was recruited by the University of Alabama at Birmingham to become chief of the breast imaging section and director of outpatient radiology. In 2000, he accepted the position of chief of breast imaging at the Breast Cancer Center of the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, where he remained until he retired from clinical practice in 2014. Pete continued to be active at MD Anderson, serving as one of the medical directors of the Anderson Physician Network for the past several years.

Pete was an active contributor to both the American College of Radiology (ACR) and the Society of Breast Imaging (SBI), developing specialized breast imaging teaching programs and serving on multiple committees within both organizations to develop and expand their activities in the breast imaging community. He was elected a Fellow of both the ACR and the SBI. He served as a board examiner for the American Board of Radiology, also developing a comprehensive teaching file for use on board examinations there.

Throughout his professional life, Pete remained focused on treating his patients and his staff with kindness and respect above all else. He demanded excellence of himself and of all those around him, but always with a kind and gentle guiding hand. His prowess as a skilled clinician, teacher, and educator was second to none. Pete’s stature within the breast imaging community culminated in his being awarded the Gold Medal of the Society of Breast Imaging in 2017.

Pete was a beloved husband and father, a doting grandfather, a world-renowned physician and educator, a pilot, a fisherman, a musician, a runner, a teller of terrible jokes, a lover of great wine and fine food (except nuts), a world traveler, early to everything, and the most kind-hearted man who will be deeply missed by the thousands of people whose lives he touched in his 82 years.

He is survived by his wife of 48 years, Cindy, his daughters Clare Doyle Dempsey, Alison Dempsey Owen (Jeremy), brother John Dempsey (Sheena), grandchildren Andrew Glenn Owen and Adeline Clark Owen, nephews Sean Dempsey, Jeffrey Dempsey, Kevin Dempsey, and niece Kelly Dempsey, as well as countless extended family in New York, Michigan, Illinois, and beyond.

The family would also like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the staff of Belmont Village West University for their exceptional care and support over the last two years.

Memorial Service will be held Monday, October 3rd at 10 am at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Houston, TX.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Houston Youth Symphony: https://houstonyouthsymphony.org/