Black History Month - Louis Wade Sullivan, MD (b. 1933)

In honor of Black History Month, we are highlighting black heroes in healthcare, especially in the homecare industry, where many certified home health aides and nursing assistants are women of color.

We are sharing their stories on our platforms along with informational cards that we have created and shared with our caregivers, partners, and local facilities.

Dr. Sullivan grew up in the segregated 1930s South. Sullivan had a black doctor who was a great source of inspiration. "He was the only black doctor within 100 miles," said Sullivan. "Dr. Griffin was making a difference and was popular in the area."

Sullivan earned his medical degree from Boston University School of Medicine, entering as the only African American in his class and graduating third in his class in 1958. Following medical school, Dr. Sullivan trained at New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center.

In the mid-1970s, Dr. Sullivan returned to Morehouse where he helped establish the Morehouse School of Medicine and was appointed founding dean. In 1989, under President George H.W. Bush, Dr. Louis W. Sullivan was appointed U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS).

After his tenure as Secretary of HHS, Dr. Sullivan returned to Morehouse School of Medicine to serve as two-time dean and president from 1993—2002.

In 2005, he created the Sullivan Alliance to increase minority representation in healthcare. (Association of American Medical Colleges, 2019)