Hassein Massoud

Dr . Massoud was preceded in death by his parents and one sister and is survived by his former wife of 30 years, Carolyn Thomas Massoud of Cleveland, Tenn.; his three daughters, Jamileh (Jami) Massoud Hill (Mort) of Brentwood, Tenn. , Mary Massoud Horncastle of Brentwood, Tenn. , and Susan Massoud Farley (Scott) of Chattanooga, and six grandchildren: Andrew Hill, Evan Hill, Brian Horncastle, and Mallory Horncastle , all of Brentwood, Tenn., and Caroline Farley and Catherine Farley of Chattanooga. One brother, two sisters, and several nieces and nephews also survive him, all still living in Iran. The family would like to thank caregivers Talyna Finch and Deysi Riverall for their faithful and loving service and also thanks to Hospice of Chattanooga.

Dr. Massoud was born on March 10, 1930 in Yazd, Iran. His parents were the late Ali and Zarah Massoud. He was educated in a private Zoroastrian High School in Yazd and then went to medical school in Isphahan, Iran where he graduated in 1956. After graduation from Medical school, he went to work as a company physician for Amiran Oil Company in Abadan, Iran, where he stayed for two-and-a-half years. In June of 1959 he accepted an internship at Baltimore (Md.) City Hospital in Baltimore, Md. Following the internship, he moved to Chattanooga after receiving a two-year residency in pathology at Erlanger Hospital. During that residency, he decided to change his specialty to pediatrics and transferred to a pediatric residency at T. C. Thompson Children’s Hospital (now Children’s Hospital at Erlanger) in 1962. Following that residency, he shared a fellowship in cardiology with Dr. Walter Puckett for one year at Erlanger.

He returned to T. C. Thompson as Medical Director in 1965 and remained in that position until his retirement in 1996. During that time, he was instrumental in overseeing the move of the hospital from its former home in Glenwood to its present location on the Erlanger main campus in 1975. When he became medical director, there were no pediatric subspecialties at the hospital and over the years he built the program so that when he retired, the hospital had multiple subspecialties covering the total spectrum of care in pediatrics. In addition to his position as Medical Director at T.C. Thompson, he was also a full professor in the University of Tennessee Medical School branch, an associate professor of pediatrics at Vanderbilt University College of Medicine, and maintained a private practice for many years in Brainerd with Dr. Hicks Corey, Dr. M. Foy Perrin, and Dr. Charles (Toby) Von Canon. He served as lead pediatrician for Head Start during its beginning in Chattanooga. He also served as an assistant to Dr. Walter Boehm at the Chattanooga Birth Defects Center. Following his retirement, he continued as part-time consulting pediatrician at the hospital and continued to work with pediatric residents where he trained many of the area’s most respected pediatricians. Dr. Massoud was honored by the hospital in 1992 with the naming of the main building on the T.C. Thompson campus as the Massoud Pediatric Building.

Dr. Massoud became a member of the American Board of Pediatrics in 1965 and member of the American Academy of Pediatrics in 1974. In 1985, he was honored for outstanding service to the academy and was honored with an award for outstanding service rendered to the academy in 1985. In 1993, he was presented the Augustus McCravey Award for his years of service to the residents of the Chattanooga branch of the University of Tennessee College of Medicine. In 1997, he was named Senior Pediatrician of the Year by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Tennessee Pediatric Society. In January of 2011, the Baroness Erlanger Foundation honored Dr. Massoud during its Distinguished Physician’s Brunch for his “unquestionable character, as well as their commitment and excellence in medicine to the region.”

In addition to his career in pediatrics, Dr. Massoud took a great interest in the oriental rug business. In 1978, he opened Massoud’s Oriental Rugs, which continued for many years in Hixson. He was a Certified Rug Appraiser and a member of the board of the Oriental Rug Retailers of America throughout most of the 1980s.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial donations be made to the T. C. Thompson Children's Hospital Foundation, 975 East Third Street, Chattanooga, TN 37403. Donations can also be made online.

The family will receive friends on Friday, April 29th from 5-7 p.m. in the narthex of First-Centenary United Methodist Church (419 McCallie Ave, Chattanooga, TN 37402) and again on Saturday from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. in the narthex of the church. The service will begin at 1 p.m. in the sanctuary of First-Centenary United Methodist Church with the Rev. Dr. David Harr presiding. A graveside service at Chattanooga Memorial Park will follow.

Arrangements are by the East Chapel of Chattanooga Funeral Home, Crematory, and Florist. 404 South Moore Road.