[Presidential inaugural events itinerary], January 18-22, 1989

Correspondence, speeches, briefing files, subject files, news clippings, photographs, videotapes, and awards and honors predominantly document Louis Sullivan’s tenure as Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) from 1989-1993. His pre- and post-HHS career as a hematology research scientist and medical educator, health policy expert, promoter of healthy lifestyles, advocate for improving health equity and disparities for Black and underserved populations, and increasing racial and ethnic diversity in the health professions are also documented to a smaller degree. Users will find large portions of the collection are damaged and fragile due to long-term storage in non-climate-controlled spaces.

The bulk of the collection is comprised of largely non-record copies of correspondence, reports, briefings, subject files, and Green Sheets/newsclippings documenting his service as HHS Secretary during the George H. W. Bush presidency from 1989-1993. The majority of these records are arranged chronologically, likely organized by administrative staff, meaning the various policy topics for which Sullivan is known are mixed throughout.

Series 9: HHS Secretary's Briefings and Series 12: HHS Secretary's Schedules and Calendars complement each other and are arranged chronologically. They include a comprehensive picture of Sullivan’s daily schedules of activities and background briefing materials for each meeting or event.

A main source of information about Sullivan’s policy and program activities are found in Series 10: HHS Secretary’s Memos--Action Memos subseries. It includes items and responses to meetings and inquiries largely represented by the same topics in the Briefings series and document actual actions taken by the Secretary rather than merely informational items which the Secretary may or may not have actually seen or read.

Series 11: HHS Secretary’s Reports--White House Reports subseries consists of copies of summaries of Sullivan’s weekly activities and accomplishments such as major policy events and conferences organized or attended, legislative activities, advisory committee participations, major press releases, media events and the like. 90 Day Reports are executive summaries from top-level offices within the Secretary’ Office about significant activities likely to be of importance to the secretary in the upcoming 90 days. Offices include Medicaid/Medicare Services, Office of Civil Rights, Office of Inspector General, HCFA, Planning and Evaluation, and Budget, but not other OPDOVS such as FDA or NIH. Along with Series 4: Speeches and Remarks, these series represent another large concentration of information about Sullivan’s many policy and health care agenda topics.

Series 8: HHS Correspondence is the most complex as the topics covered can be found across most all subseries and with overlapping dates. The Congressional subseries consists of non-record photocopies of outgoing replies to letters from various congresspeople and senators. Topics generally involve responses to constituent requests coming from congressional districts through their congressmen, requests about position openings, grant and other funding support, regulatory issues at state and local levels, and other day-to-day topics. There is little information about Sullivan’s larger strategic plans, agendas, or program initiatives for HHS. The Executive correspondence subseries are also non-record copies of outgoing letters to a variety of fellow cabinet members, governors, White House senior staff, and the President and his advisors. The topics cover more substantive national policy issues and comments on reports and regulatory activities, but also include more day-to-day activities such as appointment congratulations.

Series 8's Secretary’s Correspondence--General subsubseries and the General Correspondence subseries are largely the same content, consisting also of non-record copies of incoming letters from various external public and private constituents. They are a mix of congratulatory letters, invitations to meetings, public events, celebrations, industry events, congressional public appearances.

Sullivan’s post-HHS work as chairman of the Sullivan Commission on Diversity in the Healthcare Workforce is lightly represented through press releases, drafts, and prospective implementation meetings and planning files as led by The Sullivan Alliance. There are no materials documenting the Commission’s day-to-day work as executed by Duke University.

Sullivan’s medical educator and hematology research career at Boston University, Boston City Hospital, and as project director for the Boston Sickle Cell Center during the 1970s is also lightly represented.

Materials related to Sullivan’s founding and leadership of Morehouse College School of Medicine/Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) are located at the Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library Archives Research Center, though a set of his MSM speeches is present in the NLM’s collection.