Mark Sullivan, MD, PhD
Personal Statement
My clinical service and research focuses on the interaction of mental and physical illness, especially in patients with chronic pain. Much of my research in recent decades has focused on the risks of treating chronic pain with opioids. I have developed educational programs and outcome tracking tools to assist with opioid treatment of chronic pain. I have published a book about patient empowerment in chronic disease care, The Patient as Agent of Health and Health Care (Oxford, 2017). I have another book written with Jane Ballantyne forthcoming, The Right to Pain Relief and other deep roots of the opioid epidemic (Oxford, 2022).
Education
Vanderbilt Univ. Sch. of Medicine Medical education, 1984
Univ. of Missouri Columbia Internship, Family Medicine
UW - Dept. of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences Residency, Psychiatry
Department Affiliations
Centers/Programs
Training Programs
Other Affiliations
UWMC Center for Pain Relief
Scholarly Expertise
- Addiction
- Addiction psychiatry/psychology
- Adult Psychiatry/Psychology
- Anxiety disorders
- Consult psychiatry/psychology
- Depression
- Ethics
- Health risk behavior(s)
- Health services and health policy
- Medically complex
- Medication management
- Outpatient psychiatry/psychology
- Pain, including chronic pain
- Palliative care
- Patient-centered outcomes
- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Pragmatic clinical trials
- Primary care
- Psychiatric problems
- Psychiatric specialties
- Settings
- Telemedicine
- Telepsychiatry/psychology
- Patient-centered care, patient empowerment
- Philosophy of medicine and psychiatry
Clinical Expertise
- Addictions and substance use disorders
- Addictive behaviors
- Adult psychiatry/psychology
- Anxiety disorders/social phobias
- Chronic pain
- Co-morbid medical conditions
- Consultation-Liaison psychiatry/psychology
- Depression
- General psychiatric illness and conditions
- Mood Disorders
- Outpatient psychiatry/psychology
- Palliative psychiatry/psychology
- Trauma and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Teaching Philosophy
I like to have trainees manage patients under my supervision. Trainees need real responsibility to learn and develop management skills.
In didactic sessions, I strive for interaction between myself and trainees. I generally teach in a seminar format centered around case presentations. I expect all trainees to contribute to the discussion and the learning of others.
Recent Publications
(2025 Sep 29)
Clin J Pain
Miller-Matero LR, Morris EP, Christopher B, Pappas C, Chrusciel T, Salas J, Wilson L, Secrest S, Sullivan MD, Carpenter RW, Lustman PJ, Ahmedani BK, Scherrer JF
(2025 Aug)
J Pain 33(): 105415
Sullivan MD, Williams ACC
(2025 Jun)
Future Healthc J 12(2): 100255
Sullivan M
(2025 Jul 8)
Am J Health Syst Pharm
Amerine LB, Granko RP, Brummond PW, Calabrese SV, Gullickson KK, Kelley LR, Little JD, Sullivan M
Show complete publication list »
