Under the leadership of Dr. Louis W. Sullivan, former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Sullivan Alliance to Transform America’s Health Professions was organized in January 2005, to act on the reports and recommendations of the Sullivan Commission (Missing Persons: Minorities in the Health Professions), and the Institute of Medicine Committee on Institutional and Policy-Level Strategies for Increasing the Diversity of the U.S. Healthcare Workforce (In the Nation’s Compelling Interest: Ensuring Diversity in the Healthcare Workforce).  The Alliance is based at the Health Policy Institute of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies.  The primary focus of the Alliance’s activities over the next three years will be on the health professions of medicine, dentistry, nursing,  psychology and public health with the expectation that efforts in these areas will also benefit the other health professions.

Drawing on the experience and expertise of leading health, business, community, education, and legal experts, the Sullivan Alliance will:  (1) raise awareness of the importance and value of achieving racial and ethnic diversity in the health professions; (2) disseminate information about “best practices” and resources that enhance diversity; and (3) stimulate academic programs in the  health professions of medicine, dentistry, nursing, psychology and public health to create new—or more effectively implement existing—diversity initiatives. 

Through strong leadership, deep commitment, and sustainable efforts, the Sullivan Alliance aims to transform the health professions and help eliminate the gaps in health status and access to health care that affect too many Americans.