Why I Chose Oncology: Dr. Jennifer Sullivan

Long before she found oncology and thoracic surgery, Jennifer L. Sullivan, MD, FACS, knew she wanted to be a doctor. She did not grow up around doctors, but she made her choice well before career paths were a serious consideration. She might have been five.

As she made her way through medical school, Dr. Sullivan’s surgery rotation was transformative.

“I liked it,” she recalled. “We were so busy. And surgeons see the result of their work right away.”

In a pre-computer era, the enormous amount of information she would need at her fingertips as a cardio-thoracic surgeon seemed daunting. About halfway through the six-year surgical residency, however, her mentor “believed in me when I wasn’t sure.”

Dr. Sullivan’s mentor was an ex-smoker. When he developed lung cancer, "we all took care of his patients during his chemo.” He died years ago, but his words stay with her.

At GBMC, she finds a similar camaraderie to that she felt when she and her colleagues rallied to support him.

“I can call Dr. [Mei] Tang and coordinate my patient’s treatment. We’re all a team.”

Dr. Sullivan is a perfectionist who is clear about her purpose. For her, “the rewards come down to patients.”

“When they feel like they can see the benefit,” she said, “then I really feel like I’ve earned their gratitude.”