Top 10 Fascinating Facts about Louis Wade Sullivan

Louis Sullivan served under President George H.W. Bush by Unknown Arthur/Wikimedia Commons

Top 10 Fascinating Facts about Louis Wade Sullivan

Louis Wade Sullivan was an active health policy leader, minority health advocate, author, physician, and educator. He grew up in Rural Georgia, he 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. He served as the secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human service during President George H. Dr. Sullivan is the Chairman of the Washington D.C based Sullivan Alliance to Transform America’s health professions. Sullivan has received more than seven honorary degrees including an honorary M.D. degree from the University of Pretoria in South Africa.

Sullivan contributed to the book Morehouse Mystic: Becoming a Doctor at the Nation’s Newest African American Medical School. He married Ginger Williamson Sullivan, and during his time as the Secretary of Health and Human service, he worked for diversity appointing many female and minority positions within his board. He was the Founding Dean of the Morehouse School of medicine in Atlanta, Sullivan began his career teaching at Harvard Medical School in Cambridge. In his teaching, he specialized in sickle cell anemia and blood disorders related to vitamin deficiencies, and he become a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity.

1. Sullivan Grew up and spent in Blakely Georgia

Secretary Sebelius greets former HHS Secretary Donna Shalala by Unknown Arthur/Wikimedia Commons

Louis Wade grew up in Blakely Georgia with his parents and one older brother, his father was a mortician, and his mother a teacher. His Parents emphasized education and from a young age, he knew he wanted to pursue medicine. Growing up in the Jim Crow South, Sullivan faced a lot of difficulties getting all the way to medical school and eventually the White House, however, the challenges did not stop him.

Dr. Sullivan was born in 1933, most of his childhood he grew and spent in Blakely, his father later moved the family open to Early County’s first and only black funeral parlor. Sullivan’s mother moved back to Atlanta with her sons, they attended Booker. T Washington high school, later Sullivan entered Morehouse College where he graduated Magna Cum Laude four years later.

2. Wade Graduated in medicine from Boston University

University by Mikael Kristenson/Unsplash

Wade Sullivan attended Booker T. Washington high school, and later he received his B.S. degree in Biology from Morehouse College. In 1958 he received his M.D degree from Boston University School of Medicine completing his residency at New York Hospital Cornel Medical Centre. He went to Harvard University’s Thorndike Laboratory to do research on the tip of frontier-level research. During his internship at New York Hospital Cornell Medical Centre, he conducted research into the correlation between blood and disease.

Wade made several discoveries concerning alcohol and blood health and afterward, he conducted further medical research at Harvard Medical school, he helped found the Association of Minority Health Professions Schools to promote a national minority health agenda. Sullivan began a one-year pathology fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, later he was hired as co-director of hematology at Boston University Medical Centre and founded the Boston University Hematology service.

3. Louis Sullivan Morehouse School of Medicine

Secretary Sebelius hosted a Bipartisan Health Reform meeting By Unknown Arthur/Wikimedia Commons

1975 Morehouse College Medical Education program was founded Sullivan had to return to Atlanta and serve as a dean and director. The program became the school of medicine and it became independent and was re-named Morehouse School of Medicine the only essentially black medical school in the United States established. Sullivan served as the founding President and dean for twelve years, over his tireless efforts of fundraising Sullivan met and become good buddies with Vice President George Bush.

Sullivan later became an advisor to Bush on health matters the two traveled to Africa to learn about the continent’s health needs. 1983 Morehouse College become a member of the Atlanta University Centre. The college was fully accredited as a four-year medical school and awarded its first 16 M.D. degrees.

4. Wade Sullivan Secretary of health and human service

Dr. Sullivan was appointed by U.S. President George Bush to lead the nation’s policy effort and champion the health and welfare of the country as secretary of health and human service. He served four years battling the tobacco industry and serving as a champion and advocate of AIDS sufferers and caregivers. During this time, he worked as a secretary for President George Bush.

Sullivan worked for the diversity of the government appointing many females and minority positions within the board. He also started the healthy people report to address health disparities in the country and made suggestions on how the government could improve the overall health of all Americans. Once his job was done, he moved back to Atlanta and continued as the work of the President of Morehouse college.

5. Louis was honored with the Golden Plate Award

Award by Giorgio Trovato/Unsplash

Wade Sullivan’s achievements did not come easy trying to figure out life in the Era of racism and sexism, but he pulled through and made it through the loops and obstacles that were on his way. He received the Golden Plate award from the American Academy of Achievement; in 2000 he received an honorary degree in doctor of letters from Oglethorpe University. He received the Jimmy Rosalynn Carter Award for Humanitarian contribution to the health of Humankind.

Guided by his upbringing, Sullivan made it his lifelong mission to bring inclusive diversity into the health system. Brought up in the era of discrimination, Sullivan pulled through whenever he was feeling unwell his parents did not want to pass through the humiliation of the separate waiting rooms in the white doctors’ offices, they would take him forty miles away to see Dr. Joseph Griffin.

6. They founded the annual 5k run on Martha Vineyard 

Dr. Sullivan believed in the health benefits of daily exercises, he and his wife founded the annual 5k Run/Walk on Martha’s Vineyard in Oak Bluffs. The event has raised about half a million dollars for health services. Sullivan served on several boards in a number of organizations Emergent BioSolutions.

Sullivan is the founding President of the Association of Minority Health Professions Schools. He is also a member of the boards of Africare in Washington D.C. Sullivan did not stop at being a doctor and caring for the well-being of patients he authored and co-authored academic papers and books, he has contributed to two books The Morehouse Mystic and Breaking Ground.

7. Louise Sullivan married Eve Williamson

Marriage by Sandy Miller/Unsplash

1955 Dr. Sullivan married Eve Williamson an attorney and both had three children, Wade embarked on a nationwide campaign to discuss the consequences of cost overcare health delivery. He advocated the Symphony of health care delivery; he explore to amend the current over-emphasis on one service area such as cost and creating a symphonic system that focuses on other key elements. He hosted the public television show Frontiers of medicine, he also served as chairman of the National Health Museum and on the boards of United Therapeutics, Emergent BioSolutions, General Motors, Cigna, and Equifax. His autobiography received the NAACP Image Award for Literature in 2015.

8. The Sullivan Alliance to transform the health profession

Diversifying the nation’s health professionals is essential in order to maintain a vigorous health workforce to be able to respond to the needs of Americans. The Sullivan Alliance aims to strengthen the capacity and quality of the nation’s health workforce by expanding the numbers of ethnic and racial minorities in every area of healthcare and across all aspects.

The Alliance was organized in 2005 to act on the reports and recommendations of the Sullivan Commission and the Institute of Medicine Committee. Louis W Sullivan is chairman of the Washington-based Sullivan Alliance to transform America’s health profession, the board of the Sullivan Alliance voted to become a central program of the Association of Academic Health Centers.

9. Dr. Louis Sullivan’s Initiatives

Dr. Louis Sullivan a physician, educator, civil rights, and shaper of public policy has fought all his professional life to improve public health in the United States and around the world. Over forty years Sullivan has worked to educate others in the public health field, his work has made a difference in the healthcare system in the Nation, and also in medical schools. Dr. Wade is a widely respected and effective leader in civil rights and many people often seek his counsel. In his early days, Sullivan has been a forward thinker and leader in the medical field, today the Morehouse School of Medicine is a lantern of light fostering and enhancing medical education not only for future physicians, but doctors focused on health needs in the world today.

10. Morehouse School of Medicine

Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia by Tyler Lahti/Wikimedia Commons

1975 Sullivan became the founding dean and director of the Medical Education Program at Morehouse College. The school first admitted twenty-four students to a two-year program in basic medical science. The school became independent from Morehouse College and was renamed Morehouse School of Medicine. Sullivan remained president until 2002, he now holds the title of President Emeritus. President Barack Obama nominated Morehouse School of Medicine Trustee Regina Benjamin as U.S. Surgeon General. Benjamin’s nomination and subsequent confirmation mark the second time an MSM trustee held a high-profile position with the Obama administration.