Sullivan, Louis Wade (1933-…), was United States secretary of health and human services from 1989 to 1993 under President George H. W. Bush. He was the second black to hold that office. The first African American was Patricia R. Harris, who served from 1979 to 1981. Before becoming secretary of health and human services, Sullivan was president of the Morehouse School of Medicine.
Sullivan was born in Atlanta, Georgia. He graduated with a B.S. degree from Morehouse College in 1954. In 1958, he earned an M.D. degree from Boston University. From 1963 to 1975, Sullivan taught at the Harvard Medical School, the New Jersey College of Medicine, and the Boston University School of Medicine. From 1972 to 1975, he also conducted research on sickle cell anemia. In 1975, Sullivan returned to Morehouse College as a professor of biology and medicine. That year, he founded the Morehouse School of Medicine and became its president.
