Breaking Ground: My Life in Medicine

by Louis W. Sullivan M.D., David Chanoff, Andrew Young (Foreword by)

Overview

In Breaking Ground, Louis W. Sullivan, M.D. recounts his extraordinary life including his childhood in Jim Crow south Georgia and continuing through his trailblazing endeavors training to become a physician in an almost entirely white environment in the Northeast. He was the founding dean and president of Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, and served as secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in President George H. W. Bush’s administration. Throughout his extraordinary life Sullivan has passionately championed improved access to health care for all Americans and greater diversity among the nation’s health professionals.

Sullivan’s life—from Morehouse to the White House and his ongoing work with medical students in South Africa—is the embodiment of the hopes and progress that the civil rights movement fought to achieve. His story should inspire future generations—of all backgrounds—to aspire to great things.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780820349381
Publisher:	University of Georgia Press
Publication date:	02/01/2016
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

DR. LOUIS SULLIVAN is the founding dean and first president of Morehouse School of Medicine (now president emeritus). He was secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services during the George H. W. Bush administration. He is chair of the board of the National Health Museum in Atlanta and the Washington, D.C.–based Sullivan Alliance to Transform America’s Health Professionals. He is author of The Morehouse Mystique: Becoming a Doctor at the Nation’s Newest African American Medical School (with Marybeth Gasman).

DAVID CHANOFF has written for the New York Times Magazine, the Washington Post, and the New Republic. His sixteen books include collaborations with former surgeon general Joycelyn Elders, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral William Crowe Jr., and Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon.

Louis W. Sullivan (Author)
DR. LOUIS SULLIVAN is the founding dean and first president of Morehouse School of Medicine (now president emeritus). He was secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services during the George H. W. Bush administration. He is chair of the board of the National Health Museum in Atlanta and the Washington, D.C.–based Sullivan Alliance to Transform America’s Health Professionals. He is author of The Morehouse Mystique: Becoming a Doctor at the Nation’s Newest African American Medical School (with Marybeth Gasman).

David Chanoff (With)
DAVID CHANOFF has written for the New York Times Magazine, the Washington Post, and the New Republic. His sixteen books include collaborations with former surgeon general Joycelyn Elders, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral William Crowe Jr., and Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon.

Table of Contents

Foreword Andrew Young ix

Chapter 1 Blakely, Georgia 1

Chapter 2 Morehouse College 21

Chapter 3 Medical Student 35

Chapter 4 The Kamikaze School of Medicine 51

Chapter 5 Professor 65

Chapter 6 An Offer 82

Chapter 7 Founding Dean 97

Chapter 8 Morehouse School of Medicine 117

Chapter 9 President Bush Calls 137

Chapter 10 Mr. Secretary 152

Chapter 11 Reforming Health Care 174

Chapter 12 Morehouse, a Model Black Institution 192

Chapter 13 Missing Persons 209

Epilogue 227

Acknowledgments 243

Index 247

Editorial Reviews

Louis Sullivan proved that when leadership is rooted in compassion and exercised with courage, it can be a powerful source of change. This book provides insight into his personal roots, his professional drive, and his historic decisions.

Dr. Risa Lavizzo-Mourey

Lou Sullivan has always believed that addressing the health requirements of the country’s neediest—its minorities and poor—will bring the greatest benefit to society as a whole. That was the theme of his tenure as secretary, and that has been the impact of the medical school he founded. In this book he writes with clarity, passion, and humor about the life he has led and the issues that dominate our current health care debates.

from the foreword by Ambassador Andrew Young

In this dramatic and revealing memoir that takes us from the segregated backwoods of Georgia to the founding of the nation’s premier African American medical school and the cabinet of President George H. W. Bush, Lou Sullivan shows how commitment, courage, a sense of humor, and a passion for health promotion and disease prevention can make life better for all Americans.

Joseph A. Califano

I have always known that Lou Sullivan was an outstanding head of Health and Human Services and a valued member of my White House team. I am convinced we are a healthier nation still today because of some of the issues Lou brought to the table with so much passion and determination; I paid attention. But I don’t think I really appreciated the man Louis Sullivan is until I read Breaking Ground. He is a true American hero, and Barbara and I are proud we have played a small part in his life’s journey.

President George H. W. Bush

Lou Sullivan’s life story offers a compelling chronicle of how vision and perseverance can overcome daunting obstacles. Sullivan is a genuine American hero, and his life stands as a testament to how devotion to the service of others can breech any barrier and ascend any height.

Jordan J. Cohen

This book is an inspiration and insightful storyabout a man whose tireless work makes theworld a healthier place.

Pure Politics

Dr. Sullivan has made remarkable strides in expanding medical education, increasing opportunities for African Americans, and improving the health of the nation. This autobiography is a fascinating glimpse of the journey from segregation to recognition as a national leader for health care education and reform.

Georgia Library Quarterly - Kathy Davies

“I have always known that Lou Sullivan was an outstanding head of Health and Human Services and a valued member of my White House team. I am convinced we are a healthier nation still today because of some of the issues Lou brought to the table with so much passion and determination; I paid attention. But I don’t think I really appreciated the man Louis Sullivan is until I read Breaking Ground. He is a true American hero, and Barbara and I are proud we have played a small part in his life’s journey.”—President George H. W. Bush

“In this dramatic and revealing memoir that takes us from the segregated backwoods of Georgia to the founding of the nation’s premier African American medical school and the cabinet of President George H. W. Bush, Lou Sullivan shows how commitment, courage, a sense of humor, and a passion for health promotion and disease prevention can make life better for all Americans.”—Joseph A. Califano, Jr., top White House assistant for domestic affairs under President Lyndon Johnson and secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare in the Carter administration

“Lou Sullivan’s life story offers a compelling chronicle of how vision and perseverance can overcome daunting obstacles. Sullivan is a genuine American hero, and his life stands as a testament to how devotion to the service of others can breech any barrier and ascend any height.”—Jordan J. Cohen, M.D., MACP, President Emeritus, Association of American Medical Colleges

“Louis Sullivan proved that when leadership is rooted in compassion and exercised with courage, it can be a powerful source of change. This book provides insight into his personal roots, his professional drive, and his historic decisions.”—Dr. Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, President and CEO, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

“Lou Sullivan has always believed that addressing the health requirements of the country’s neediest—its minorities and poor—will bring the greatest benefit to society as a whole. That was the theme of his tenure as secretary, and that has been the impact of the medical school he founded. In this book he writes with clarity, passion, and humor about the life he has led and the issues that dominate our current health care debates.”—from the foreword by Ambassador Andrew Young

"One of the first of the civil rights generation to achieve national distinction, Sullivan is an engaging narrator as well as a passionate advocate for his beloved Morehouse and a variety of public health initiatives, particularly expanding medical education for African Americans. Sullivan is an outstanding example of a 'Morehouse man' who has made a difference; this narrative of his life and legacy will entertain and inspire." —Library Journal

From the Publisher