Remembering Dr. Thomas Roberts Kinney

We were saddened to learn of the passing of Dr. Thomas Roberts Kinney earlier this week. Dr. Kinney was the Wilburt C. Davison Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics and Associate Chair Emeritus in the Department of Pediatrics. Dr. Kinney had a long career here at Duke. You can see him pictured in the 1970 Intern composite from the July 1970 issue of the Intercom.

 

 

Dr. Kinney is widely known for his work as both a clinical researcher and advocate in the field of pediatric hematology. He led an NIH-funded 20 year cooperative study that defined the natural history of the sickle cell disease. He was also a champion of sickle cell screening in infants and successfully coordinated in the implementation of newborn screening for the disease in North Carolina. He then went on to help establish national guidelines. 

 

The McGovern-Davison Children’s Health Center is a standing testament to the legacy of Dr. Kinney. He served as the lead physician on the design and construction of the facility and was instrumental in securing funding and getting operations running. 

 

We remember Dr. Kinney as a great friend to the Medical Center Archives. He was a member of the Archives Advisory Committee that helped draft our operational guidelines and also actively donated materials to our collections. In the past year, he donated materials to three manuscript collections: the Wilburt Cornell Davison Papers, the Jerome S. Harris Records, and the Thomas D. Kinney Papers. Dr. Thomas D. Kinney, his father, had been chair of the Department of Pathology from 1960-1975. We appreciate Dr. Thomas R. Kinney’s generosity in sharing his father’s materials for future research.  

 

We have enjoyed working with Dr. Kinney and send our condolences to his family and friends.