Throughout Dr. Sullivan-Marx’s career in practice, research, and service, she has demonstrated improved health outcomes for underserved, vulnerable people, particularly among frail older adults

with cognitive challenges. To promote and sustain such outcomes, she became an expert in medical and nursing payment models as well as Medicare and Medicaid policy. Her significant research in this area demonstrated how innovative care models can be sustained. Dr. Sullivan-Marx led the American Nurses Association’s effort to establish the identification and valuation of nursing and advanced practice nurse work in the Medicare reimbursement payment models from 1992-2003. As a nurse practitioner (NP) for over four decades, she is a pioneer in establishing numerous NP roles in aging and primary care and opened her own primary care practice in a rural area in 1988. This dovetailed her work as the Associate Dean for Practice & Community at the

University of Pennsylvania (Penn) School of Nursing. In this role, she oversaw the growth and success of a Program for All Inclusive Care for Elders (PACE), a Medicare/Medicaid funded comprehensive initiative for frail older adults in West Philadelphia, and initiated the Healthy in

Philadelphia program, an interprofessional and community partnership of Penn and the West Philadelphia community that addressed health equity.

 

Dr. Sullivan-Marx has held senior level policy positions as a Health and Aging Policy Fellow from 2010-2012 and served as a Senior Advisor to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Office of Medicare & Medicaid Coordination established by the Affordable Care Act. In this role, she promoted the expansion and integration of PACE programs, ultimately leading to the PACE Expansion Act in 2015, which included persons under the age of 55 with disabilities. As an expert in aging issues she has had extensive experience in city, state, and federal commissions and nonprofit boards that address health equity including the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging, the Bernard Johnson Family Primary Care Program at Sayre School, United Hospital Fund, Arnold P. Gold Foundation, and VNS Health. She led the prestigious American Academy of Nursing (AAN) as president during the COVID-19 pandemic expanding AAN’s health equity and antiracism vision following George Floyd’s murder. She was a commissioner to the National Commission to Address Racism in Nursing. She is a fellow of AAN, the Gerontological Society of America, and the New York Academy of Medicine. At NYU, she is held in high esteem for her service as dean of nursing and senior leadership. She chaired the NYU Deans’ Council for 3 years during the COVID-19 pandemic helping to steer the university and city of New York through the crisis. 

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Dr. Sullivan-Marx had an active practice career in nursing before becoming a primary care nurse practitioner in 1980 at the University of Rochester, earning her master’s degree. She received

her diploma, BSN, and PhD from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing.

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