Honor recognizes decades of leadership in health economics and outcomes research through scholarship, policy impact and mentorship.
Sean D. Sullivan, Professor and former Dean in the University of Washington (UW) School of Pharmacy, and longtime leader of the Comparative Health Outcomes, Policy, and Economics Institute, or CHOICE Institute, has received the Avedis Donabedian Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR), the Professional Society for Health Economics and Outcomes Research. The award recognizes a career of sustained contribution to the science and practice of improving healthcare quality, value and decision-making.
Over more than three decades, Sullivan has helped shape the field of health economics and outcomes research through scholarship, policy leadership, teaching and mentorship. He also serves on the ISPOR Board of Directors as its current Treasurer and has previously served as President of the Society. Colleagues who nominated him for the award described his career as one defined by “scientific excellence, methodological rigor, and health policy,” and credited him with helping build CHOICE into one of the world’s leading academic centers in the field.
His work has had a lasting effect on how evidence is developed and used by payers, policymakers and clinicians, and Sullivan has played a pivotal role in advancing the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy Format, budget impact analysis methods and value-based formulary design — contributions that helped change how clinical and economic evidence are presented and applied in coverage and reimbursement decisions in the United States.
Sullivan’s scholarship is both broad and influential. He has authored more than 440 peer-reviewed publications across a wide range of health conditions, with research that has informed clinical guidelines, payer and government policies, and health technology assessment processes. Most recently, his work has helped bring clarity to the complex and evolving policy landscape surrounding Medicare drug price negotiation under the Inflation Reduction Act.
Just as significant is the reach of his mentorship. Over the course of his career, Sullivan has mentored more than 90 trainees and faculty members, many of whom now serve in leadership roles across academia, state and federal governments, industry and payer organizations. That legacy has extended his influence far beyond his own scholarship.
Those who have worked alongside Sullivan point not only to the significance of his scholarship, but to the community of inquiry and mentorship he helped build around it.
“Simply put, I came to UW to work with and be trained by Sean Sullivan,” said Jonathan H. Watanabe, Professor and Goyan Presidential Chair, Department of Clinical Pharmacy, University of California, San Francisco School of Pharmacy. “The environment he has cultivated, the innovations he has fostered, the friendships he has nurtured that have all nucleated from the steadfast notion of applying scientific thinking and principles to better understand, quantify, and promote health in the real-world is unique on earth.”
Shelby Reed, Professor in Population Health Sciences and Medicine, Duke University, emphasized both the quality and relevance of Sullivan’s work, as well as the example he has set for others in the field.
“Sean’s massive body of research exemplifies best practice in addressing questions that matter,” Reed said. “His recent work investigating the impact of changes in drug pricing in the U.S. sheds light on the thorny intersection of affordability, innovation, and improving health outcomes for patients.” She added, “Sean’s impact on health economics and outcomes research is exponentiated through his steadfast commitment to lifelong mentoring to so many people in the field. I am lucky to be one of them.”
Andy Stergachis, Professor of Pharmacy and Global Health at the UW School of Pharmacy, said Sullivan’s career has left a lasting mark on both the profession and the many people shaped by his work.
“Having known Sean since his graduate school days, I have had the privilege of witnessing the truly remarkable trajectory of his academic and professional career and its impact,” Stergachis said. “His achievements have yielded lasting benefits for generations of his mentees, the profession of pharmacy, the healthcare system, and society at large. This lifetime achievement honor is a fitting recognition of his pioneering and enduring leadership and many contributions to the economic evaluation of health care technologies and practices, as well as to pharmaceutical and medical technology pricing and policy.”
Scott Ramsey, Director of the Hutchinson Institute for Cancer Outcomes Research at Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Professor of Medicine, and Adjunct Professor of Pharmacy, underscored the breadth of Sullivan’s influence as a scholar, teacher and mentor.
“Through his leadership, mentorship of generations of students, and scholarship, Sean has elevated the School of Pharmacy, launched dozens of successful careers, and built a legacy of research and teaching that is without peer,” Ramsey said. “He is a true giant in the field, and an incredibly positive force for the profession.”
Ryan Hansen, Professor and Chair at the UW Department of Pharmacy was first introduced to the field of Health Economics and Outcomes Research by Sullivan, and was mentored by him through graduate school. Hansen said: “Sean has had a lasting impact on so many lives around the globe, from patients to clinicians, and of course scientists in the field of HEOR. The Donabedian Award is a wonderful testament to his many scientific achievements and ongoing career.”
The field has evolved over the course of Sullivan’s career. When he entered health economics and outcomes research, the discipline was still establishing itself. Over time, the questions it raised — about value, affordability and evidence — moved from the margins to the center of healthcare decision-making.
Still, the central responsibility of the field has not changed: to produce rigorous evidence, communicate it clearly and ensure that it is used appropriately.
“It isn’t about data or methods,” Sullivan said. “It’s about patients who need medicines they can afford, and policymakers who need evidence they can trust.”
Sullivan’s career has also been recognized through his election to the National Academy of Medicine, designation as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy Foundation Steven G. Avey Award for sustained and distinguished service to managed care pharmacy.
Along with the Donabedian Award, these honors reflect a career devoted not only to advancing a field, but to strengthening the connection between evidence and better healthcare decisions.
About the UW School of Pharmacy
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