Dr. Hannah Chase Kinney

Hannah Chase Kinney

Hannah Chase Kinney, age 77, passed away peacefully on June 12 at her beloved home overlooking the Northeast River from MASH (metabolic dysfunction associated steatohepatitis) and complications from a broken hip.

Hannah was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and grew up in Durham, North Carolina, the daughter of Thomas D. Kinney, MD, and Eleanor Roberts Kinney, PhD. She graduated from Emma Willard School, Duke University, and Case Western Reserve Medical School. She completed a residency in pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and a residency in pathology and neuropathology at Duke University. She moved to Boston, where she completed further training in pediatric neuropathology at Boston Children’s Hospital, remaining on staff and eventually becoming a full professor there and at Harvard Medical School.

Hannah was a world-renowned expert in the brain findings of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), leading many national and international studies on the subject. Through her career, she made groundbreaking discoveries in SIDS that changed the way we understand why babies die from this heartbreaking disorder. Working to find the cause of SIDS was, along with her family and friends, her absolute passion in life. Her many findings continue to spark countless investigations into this disorder, and even while retired, she continued to work and write manuscripts with many colleagues until three days before her death. She was also a super enthusiastic party planner and dining table decorator and founded a make-believe company, Cheesy Parties Inc.!

Hannah is survived by her husband, Holcombe Grier, MD, for whom Hannah was the love of his life; her son, Johnston Grier, and his wife, Becky; her wonderful grandchildren, Grover and Sylvia Grier; her sister, Janet Kinney Schmidt; and her many colleagues and friends worldwide.

A celebration of her life will be held at a future date at their home in North East, Maryland, and a second celebration in Boston, Massachusetts, where she worked for over thirty years.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Hannah’s name to the SIDS-DNP Research Fund at Boston Children’s Hospital in memory of Hannah Kinney. Contributions can be made online at bostonchildrens.org/giveinmemory or by mail, payable to Boston Children’s Hospital, at:

Boston Children’s Hospital Trust   

401 Park Drive, Suite 602

Boston, MA 02215-5301