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1992.04.07 :  Sullivan Tenure

Contact:  Susan Gonzales (202)245-6343
April 7, 1992

        HHS Secretary Louis W. Sullivan, M.D., will become the
longest serving Secretary of Health and Human Services since the
department's inception in 1953.  
        On April 9, 1992, Dr. Sullivan will have held the
position 3 years and 39 days.  Former Secretary Otis Bowen, M.D.,
was in the position 3 years and 38 days.  Dr. Sullivan is the
first Black male and second physician to hold this position.
        Dr. Sullivan's appointment by President Bush was
confirmed by the Senate on March 1, 1989, and he was sworn in as
Secretary of Health and Human Services on March 10, 1989.  Dr.
Sullivan first met George Bush in 1981, when the then-Vice
President spoke at the dedication ceremonies for the first
permanent building of the Morehouse School of Medicine, an
institution where Dr. Sullivan was the founding dean and first
president.
        Consequently, Vice President Bush invited Dr. Sullivan to
be a member of his delegation which visited seven sub-Saharan
African countries in November 1982.  Mrs. Barbara Bush became a
member of the Morehouse School of Medicine Board of Trustees in
January 1983 and friendship between the Vice President, Mrs. Bush
and Dr. and Mrs. Sullivan developed over the next few years.
        In November 1988, at the request of President-elect
George Bush, Dr. Sullivan submitted several of his colleagues'
names for consideration for the position of Secretary of Health
and Human Services.  President-elect Bush responded by asking Dr.
Sullivan to serve as Secretary.
        As Secretary of Health and Human Services, Dr. Sullivan
has moved aggressively to address the nation's most pressing
health and social problems.  Among the many accomplishments of
Dr. Sullivan's career as Secretary are:
     *    The development of a comprehensive proposal for reform
          of the nation's health care system

     *    Major new initiatives addressing the problems of infant
          mortality, childhood immunizations, lead poisoning,
          tobacco use, child abuse and neglect, alcohol and drug
          abuse, minority males and women's health

     *    A revitalized Food and Drug Administration, including
          the most sweeping overhaul of its food labeling
          regulations in over fifty years

     *    A major focus on health promotion and disease
          prevention via development and release of "Healthy
          People 2000"

     *    A new priority on America's children, with funding for
          HHS children's programs nearly doubled

     *    Increased support for biomedical and behavioral
          research

     *    Continued intensive efforts on HIV/AIDS research and
          prevention


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