NIMHD Chat Recalls Sullivan’s Impact on Minority Health
Photo: Chia-Chi Charlie Chang
Dr. Louis W. Sullivan, who served as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services from 1989 to 1993, has devoted his career to championing minority health and health disparities.
He is the founding dean and president of Morehouse School of Medicine, serving for more than two decades. His leadership helped elevate Morehouse’s status and capacity to train health care leaders and address health disparities, especially in racial and ethnic minority communities. Sullivan also played a seminal role in establishing the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD).
In a recent fireside chat hosted by NIMHD Director Dr. Eliseo Pérez-Stable, Sullivan shared personal stories and insights, reflecting on his dedication to health policy, medicine and education.
The former HHS helmsman recounted his journey, beginning in Atlanta.
Inspired by his father, an activist who served the Black community, and Dr. Joseph Griffin, a respected Black physician, Sullivan pursued a medical career to bring dignity and quality health service to underserved populations.
Sullivan also recalled his time as HHS secretary and spoke about his decision to accept the role, revealing that he initially hesitated.
“But I thought about it…and decided to come because I would be able to have a national impact on what we were trying to do at Morehouse,” he said.
While at HHS, Sullivan prioritized developing initiatives to increase racial, ethnic and gender diversity. His efforts to improve the health behaviors of Americans, particularly related to NIH, included leading the charge to increase the agency’s budget and inaugurating the Women’s Health Research Program. He is also credited with overseeing the appointment of NIH’s first female director, the late Dr. Bernadine Healy, as well as the first female and Hispanic surgeon generals and first female HHS chief of staff.
During the chat, Sullivan offered insights into the evolution of NIMHD and his efforts to create the Office of Research on Minority Health, which eventually became the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NCMHD) and is now NIMHD.
Photo: Chia-Chi Charlie Chang
Sullivan explained that when NCMHD was formed with passage of the Minority Health and Health Disparities Research and Education Act in 2000, the late Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV) was instrumental in adding “health disparities” to the center’s name. He said Byrd was concerned that many of his constituents also faced disparities due to their socio-economic status.
“So that was how it became the Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities because we recognized what we were dealing with were health problems that were not specifically located by race but by social status, poverty,” Sullivan added.
Sullivan also underscored the importance of effective science education, particularly from kindergarten through 12th grade, to foster trust and understanding in science. He advocated for involving community leaders, such as ministers, teachers and community center directors, to make science more accessible and understandable.
Their involvement, Sullivan concluded, could help counter negative perceptions of science and promote a more inclusive approach to biomedical research.
Watch the entire conversation: https://videocast.nih.gov/watch=54588.