Brian Sullivan Oral History

Interviewee

Brian Sullivan

Interviewer

Steven Mennerick, PhD, Koong-Nah Chung, PhD, Wayne Yokoyama, MD, and Andrew Richards

Files

Summary

Brian Sullivan was interviewed by Steven Mennerick, PhD, Koong-Nah Chung, PhD, Wayne Yokoyama, MD, and Andrew Richards on January 10, 2024 for approximately 1 hour and 23 minutes.

Scope and Content

Sullivan, the executive director of the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) at Washington University, reflects on his career and the evolution of the program. Sullivan discusses the growth of the program, the importance of community, and the challenges faced due to the Covid-19 pandemic. He also highlights his role in national MD-PhD program reviews and his contributions to the national MD-PhD community. Sullivan expresses concern about the future of the program due to changes in the medical school curriculum and the impact of Covid-19 on student engagement. He also shares personal anecdotes about his early days in the program and the mentors who influenced him.

Biographical Information: Interviewee

Brian Sullivan is the executive director of the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) at Washington University, a role he has held since 1994. Born in 1959 in North St. Louis, he grew up in a large family and pursued a degree in political science and Spanish at Saint Louis University. Sullivan began his career at Washington University in 1983, initially working in Phil Stahl's lab before transitioning to administrative roles. He played a pivotal role in merging the financial functions of the Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences (DBBS) and MSTP and has been instrumental in supporting and mentoring students throughout his tenure. Nationally recognized for his contributions to the MD-PhD community, Sullivan has participated in numerous program reviews and has been honored with the Burt Shapiro Award. Known for his dedication to student support and community building, he has also performed weddings for several MSTP students as an ordained minister.

Biographical Information: Interviewer

Steven Mennerick, PhD is the director and associate dean of Washington University’s Roy and Diana Vagelos Division of Biology & Biomedical Sciences (DBBS). As director of DBBS, Mennerick aims to create more interdisciplinary coursework; encourage the development of meta skills such as critical thinking, creative problem-solving and flexibility; and improve methods for evaluating and tracking students’ progress. He also plans to enhance the student support infrastructure to help trainees weather the inevitable failures and challenges of graduate school. A 1995 graduate of DBBS, Mennerick studies how messages are sent between neurons and how dysfunction in this signaling can lead to mental disorders. His focus is on GABA receptors, molecules that are on the surface of neurons and play an important role in regulating emotion, cognition, pain, sleep and movement.

Koong-Nah Chung, PhD is Associate Dean for Medical Student Research at Washington University, Director of the Office of Medical Student Research and Scholarship, and instructor of cell biology and physiology. She received her bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor in 1980 and a doctorate in molecular biology and biochemistry from Washington University School of Medicine in 1986. After completing a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California in Berkeley and a senior staff fellowship at the National Cancer Institute, she joined the School of Medicine in 1996 as a research assistant professor. Dr. Chung is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Society of Cell Biology. In 1995 she received the Young Investigator Award from the Society of Biomedical Research. Her research interests include organelle biogenesis and cell membrane structures called caveolae.

Wayne M. Yokoyama, MD is the Sam and Audrey Loew Levin Professor of Medicine, Pathology and Immunology and director of the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) at Washington University School of Medicine. Yokoyama earned his medical degree from the University of Hawaii and completed internal medicine and rheumatology clinical training at the University of Iowa Hospitals. He was a research fellow at Iowa and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). He was recruited to Washington University in 1995 as chief of the Rheumatology Division, a position he held until 2007 when he became MSTP director.

Andrew Richards

Interview Date

2024-01-10

Collection Identifier

OH157

Length

Approximately 1 hour and 23 minutes.

Restrictions

Users wishing to publish (in whole, or in part) content taken from the audio or transcript of this oral history interview must request, sign, and return a Statement of Use form to the Becker Archives. For detailed information regarding publication and use of this oral history, contact the Becker Archives (arb@wusm.wustl.edu).

Recommended Citation

Brian Sullivan Oral History, OH157, Bernard Becker Medical Library Archives, Washington University in St. Louis.

Disclaimer

The Becker Archives provides access to this oral history interview as a record of the past. This interview reflects the attitudes, perspectives, and beliefs of the interview participants, which may reflect outdated, biased, and offensive views and opinions. The Becker Archives does not endorse the views expressed in this interview, which may contain materials offensive to some users.