Patricia Sullivan

Senior Fellow

Patricia Sullivan, PhD

  • Chief Quality Officer, University of Pennsylvania Health System

Patricia Sullivan, PhD is Chief Quality Officer for the University of Pennsylvania Health System and is responsible for clinical effectiveness & quality improvement across the health system. In her role, she has partnered with leaders across the health system to design and implement multiple versions of the Blueprint for Quality, resulting in significant improvement in morbidity, mortality, and patient experience. Focusing on integration, Dr. Sullivan created the Penn Clinical Value team, a group that works across the system to tackle significant clinical problems, reducing unnecessary variation and disseminating best practices.

More recently, her areas of focus have expanded to include professionalism and the impact of unprofessional behavior on patient and staff outcomes. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Sullivan has spent a good deal of her time in establishing community-based testing centers as well as vaccine operations for health care workers and community members.   

Her area of research includes the use of organization theory and change management in health systems as well as the impact of unprofessional behavior on patient safety and medical malpractice. Dr. Sullivan is an active collaborator within Penn as well as with external organizations such as the Vanderbilt Center for Patient and Professional Advocacy and Vizient, the largest quality benchmarking organization in the nation.

Dr. Sullivan received her Master’s in Public Health from Columbia University. She also earned a post graduate degree in Health Care Finance and a PhD in Health Policy and Management, both from New York University.

Related Content