Forging the Way

When Louis Wade Sullivan was born in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1933, an African American could not hope to sit in the same classroom as a white child. But Sullivan's dream was to become a doctor and help his people. An excellent student, he graduated from Atlanta's Morehouse College in 1954 with a BSc in biology and went on to earn a MD from Boston University School of Medicine.

After completing a residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in hematology, Sullivan embarked on a research and teaching career in medicine that included positions at Harvard Medical School and at Seton Hall College of Medicine and Dentistry (in New Jersey).

But in 1975, he left his research and teaching positions to go back to his community, becoming founding dean and president of Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM), an institution that was established to recruit and train minority students and is committed to the primary healthcare needs of the underserved.

In 1989, Sullivan accepted the position of secretary of the United States Department of Health & Human Services, the agency responsible for the major health, welfare, food and drug safety, medical research, and income security programs serving Americans. During this time, he distinguished himself by decrying the dangers of cigarette smoking, fighting the tobacco industry, and becoming an early advocate for AIDS research and treatment.

In January 1993, Sullivan returned to MSM and resumed the office of president. He stepped down in 2002. Of his life and many accomplishments, this can truly be said: he never lost his focus, his integrity, or his determination to bring the dream of equality in healthcare to all Americans.

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