Erin Sullivan, PhD

Biography

Professor Sullivan’s expertise and passion are focused on how to build leaders, teams, and culture in healthcare, with a particular emphasis on strengthening frontline leaders in primary care.

Her research is published in top journals such as the Journal of Healthcare Management and the Journal of Health Organization and Management. She teaches Leadership, Ethics, and Organizational Change in Healthcare and the MHA Capstone, where she shares her knowledge of the healthcare field with her students. She has substantial teaching experience in the areas of leadership and organizational change and in case-based teaching and learning.

Professor Sullivan’s current research projects address physician leadership, the impact of COVID-19 on the primary care workforce, and patient safety and physician burnout. In addition to her teaching and research, Professor Sullivan serves on the editorial board of the Case Research Journal.

Professor Sullivan joined Suffolk University after working as the research and curriculum director at the Harvard Medical School Center for Primary Care. During her tenure at Harvard Medical School, she was also a lecturer within the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine.

Professional Activities

Journal Editorship

• Editor, Case Research Journal, Special Issue on Health Care (2020).

Editorial/Advisory Review Board

• Editorial Board Member, Case Research Journal, 2020-present
• External Examiner, Royal College of Surgeons Ireland, 2019-present

Publications

Recent Intellectual Contributions

Refereed Journal Articles

Sullivan, Erin & Etz, Rebecca & Gonzalez, Martha & Reves, Sarah & Deubel, Jordyn & Stange, Kurt & Green, Larry & Bitton, Asaf & Griffiths, Elizabeth & Sinsky, Christine & Linzer, Mark. (2023). Primary Care in Peril: How Clinicians View the Problems and Solutions. NEJM Catalyst. 4.10.1056/CAT.23.0029.

Sullivan, E.E., Stephenson, A.L., & Hoffman, A.R. (2022). Engaging physicians in leadership: motivations, challenges, and identity-based considerations. Journal of Healthcare Management, 67(4) 254-265.

DePuccio, M.J., Sullivan, E.E., Breton, M., McKinstry, D., Gaughan, A., & McAlearney, A.S. (2022). The impact of COVID-19 on primary care teamwork: a qualitative study in two states. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 37, 2003-2008. 

Matsas, B., Goralnick, E., Bass, M., Barnett, E., Nagle, B., & Sullivan, E. (2022). Leadership development in U.S. undergraduate medical education: a scoping review of curricular content and competency frameworks. Academic Medicine, 97(6) 899-908.

Sullivan, E. E., Breton, M., McKinstry, D., & Phillips, R. S. (2022). COVID-19’s perceived impact on primary care in New England: a qualitative study. The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, 35(2), 265–273.

Fleuren B., Stephenson A.L., Sullivan E.E., Raj M., Tietschert, M., Sriharan A., Lai A.Y., DePuccio M.J., Thomas, S.C., & McAlearney A.S. (2021) Even Superheroes Need Rest: A Guide to Facilitating Recovery from Work for Health-care Workers during COVID-19 and beyond. Advances in Healthcare Management (in print).

Arabadjis, S. D., & Sullivan, E. (2021). Data and HIT systems in Primary Care Settings: An analysis of perceptions and use. Journal of Health Organization and Management 35(4).

Jack, H. E., Arabadjis, S. D., Sun, L., Sullivan, E. E., & Phillips, R. S. (2017). Impact of Community Health Workers on Use of Healthcare Services in the United States: A systematic review. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 32(3), 325–344.

Sullivan, E. E., Ibrahim, Z., Ellner, A. L., & Giesen, L. J. (2016). Management Lessons for High-Functioning Primary Care Teams. Journal of Healthcare Management, 61(6), 449–465.

Teaching Cases

Sullivan, E. E. & Martelli, P. F. (Forthcoming). Patient Exodus at Sycamore Family Health. Health Services Management: A Case Study Approach, 12th Edition. A. S. McAlearney & A. R. Kovner (Eds.). Chicago: Health Administration Press.

Sullivan, E.E. & Thomas, S.C. (Forthcoming) Re-imagining Primary Care. Health Services Management: A Case Study Approach, 12th Edition. A. S. McAlearney & A. R. Kovner (Eds.). Chicago: Health Administration Press.

Hughes, L.S., Sullivan, E.E. & Anderson, B. (2022). Navigating Vaccination Challenges in a Rural Community. Harvard Medical School: Primary Care Systems Case Collection.

Sullivan, E.E., Hughes, L.S., & Anderson, B. (2021). The Burnout of a Rural Doctor. Harvard Medical School: Primary Care Systems Case Collection.

Others

Raj M., Stephenson A.L., DePuccio M., Sullivan E.E., Traver W., Fleuren B., Thomas S., & McAlearney A. (2023). Conceptual framework for integrating family caregivers into the health care team: a scoping review. Medical Care Research and Review, 80(2), 131–144.

Fleuren B., Stephenson A.L., Sullivan E.E., Raj M., Tietschert, M., Sriharan A., Lai A.Y., DePuccio M.J., Thomas, S.C., & McAlearney A.S. (2021) Even Superheroes Need Rest: A Guide to Facilitating Recovery from Work for Health-care Workers during COVID-19 and beyond. Advances in Healthcare Management, 20, 273-282.

Sullivan, E. E., & Phillips, R. S. (2020). Sustaining Primary Care Teams in the midst of a Pandemic. Israel Journal of Health Policy Research, 9(1), 1-3.

Intellectual Contributions

• Erin Sullivan's Intellectual Contributions [PDF]