William J. Sullivan MD

Dr. Sullivan was appointed Deputy Chief of Staff at the VA Pacific Islands Health Care System on June 15, 2026. He attended Michigan State University in East Lansing, MI for undergraduate studies and obtained his medical degree from Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, GA in 1993.  Upon graduation, he completed his residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) at Northwestern University / Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. He joined VA Pacific Islands as Associate Chief of Staff for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in April 2024 and has also served as Acting Associate Chief of Staff for Geriatrics and Extended Care. 

Prior to moving to Hawai’i, Dr. Sullivan was Service Chief of PM&R at both the Eastern Colorado Health Care System (2012-2019) and the Tennessee Valley Health Care System (2019-2024). During that time, he held academic appointments including Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Vanderbilt University and Associate Professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Dr. Sullivan has Board Certification in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Sports Medicine, and Pain Medicine. He is a past-President of the North American Spine Society (NASS), having served as President from 2019 to 2020.