Paul Damian Sullivan M.D.

1928 - 2023

Sullivan

Paul Damian Sullivan M.D.

Paul Damian Sullivan, M.D. passed away on May 23, 2023, in Bethesda, Maryland. He was born on March 31, 1928, in Sunbury, Pennsylvania, the oldest child of Paul and Honor Sullivan. Paul was married to his loving wife Barbara for over 65 years until the day of his passing.

Paul attended Mount Saint Mary's College, where he graduated cum laude in 1948 with a B.S in Biology and played on the football team. He graduated cum laude from Georgetown University School of Medicine in 1952. After serving as a Medical Officer, Captain, in the USAF, Paul returned to Washington, DC in 1955 and completed his residency in Psychiatry at Georgetown Medical. He worked as an Associate Professor at Georgetown Medical until 1973 and then had a private practice until 2001. Paul was Chief of Psychiatry at Holy Cross Hospital from 1971 to 1978, where he started the psychiatric unit. He was also on the staff at Suburban Hospital, Sibley Memorial Hospital and Shady Grove Hospital and served in various leadership roles at those hospitals. He was an endlessly kind person, cared deeply for the people in his community, and helped thousands of people live better, healthier lives through his work and other activities.

Paul retired from private practice in January 2001. In December of that year, he helped create the Outpatient Addiction Services program for the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, and in February 2002 he helped create the Safety Net Services and the Montgomery County Crisis Center in Rockville, which was one of the first Mental Health emergency facilities in the country to provide mental health services to anyone with or without medical insurance and regardless of their citizenship status. Paul continued to work as a psychiatrist at the Montgomery County Crisis Center until 2018 – at the age of 88 years old!

Paul received many awards and recognitions throughout his career. He was a Distinguished Life Fellow with the American Psychiatric Association. He served as President of the Washington Psychiatric Society, Chair of the Montgomery County Medical Society and the Montgomery County Medical Care Foundation, and Chair of the Montgomery County Mental Health Advisory Committee. He was recognized as a Top Doctor by Washingtonian Magazine and received the National Counties Achievement Award and Montgomery County's Best Honors' Award.

Paul was loved by his family and was a positive, upbeat person who was always ready to help someone or some group. He was blessed with humor, incredibly well-read, and loved learning, as demonstrated by his attendance in continuing education classes at the Johns Hopkins University Montgomery County campus, while in his 80s and 90s. He had a radiant engaging smile, and he and Barbara had great long-time friends with whom they spent much time visiting and socializing.

Paul's greatest happiness was time spent with his wife Barbara and their large yet very close family, gathering in Sherwood Forest, at their home in Bethesda, and numerous other events and celebrations. Paul is survived by his wife, Barbara, and his beloved sons and daughters-in-law: Paul (Suzanne-deceased) of Annapolis, Mark (Kim) of Denver, Colorado, Brian (Kim) of Bethesda, Michael (Kara) of Westport, Connecticut, James (Sara) of Miami, FL; and 10 grandchildren: Patrick, Lucy, Kathleen, Fiona, Peter, Brendan, Thomas, Curtis, Philip, and Katherine. Paul is also survived by his loving sister Barbara Sigda (Ed) of West Grove, Pennsylvania, his wife's sister Nancy Costley (Wayne – deceased) of Raleigh, North Carolina, and his twelve nieces and nephews in the Costley and Sigda families.

A funeral Mass celebrating Paul's life will be held at Saint Elizabeth's Catholic Church at 12:30 p.m. on Friday, June 2, 2023. The family will receive visitors before and following the service. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Suburban Hospital Foundation, 8600 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda, Maryland 20814.