Commissioner New York State Office of Mental Health
Dr. Ann Marie Sullivan was confirmed by the New York State Senate as Commissioner for the
New York State Office of Mental Health on June 20, 2014. New York State has a large, multi- faceted mental health system that serves more than 800,000 individuals each year. The Office of Mental Health (OMH) operates 24 psychiatric centers across the State, and also oversees more than 4,500 community programs, including inpatient and outpatient programs, emergency, community support, residential and family care programs. As Commissioner, she has guided the transformation of the state hospital system in its emphasis on recovery and the expansion of community-based treatment, reinvesting over 100 million dollars in community services and enabling individuals living with serious mental illness to live successfully in their community.
Major initiatives have included the integration of physical, mental health and substance use in care and treatment, integrating prevention, wellness and the social determinants of health in service delivery, reducing disparities in care and enhancements in the criminal justice system that divert individuals living with mental illness from jails and prisons and prevent their return. Statewide expansion of critical programs including Zero Suicide, First Episode Psychosis Teams, crisis intervention services and school-based clinics and prevention have been a priority. Working closely with all mental health providers and health plans, she guided the movement of the health benefit for the seriously mentally ill into managed care. This Health and Recovery Plan (HARP) benefit embeds in the Medicaid benefit critical recovery services such as crisis respite, peer, educational and employment supports.
Previously, she was the Senior Vice President for the Queens Health Network of New York City Health and Hospitals. As Senior Vice President, she was responsible for Elmhurst and Queens Hospital Centers, the two public hospitals serving a community of over 2 million New York City residents. Prior to being Senior Vice President, she was the Director of Psychiatry at Elmhurst and Queens Hospitals where she developed comprehensive inpatient and ambulatory psychiatric service system that including specialty Asian and Hispanic services, comprehensive youth programs, comprehensive substance use services and Mobile outreach and school-based programs.
Dr. Sullivan grew up in Queens, New York City. She graduated from New York University Washington Square College and New York University School of Medicine and completed her Psychiatric Residency at New York University/Bellevue Hospital. She has also served as Associate Director of Psychiatry and Medical Director of Ambulatory Care at the Gouverneur Diagnostic and Treatment Center, a large community ambulatory care center serving the Lower East Side of NY City. She has enjoyed an extensive career in public psychiatry and has taught, lectured and published on best practices in community care.
Dr. Sullivan is an active advocate for her patients and her profession, is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and has served as the Speaker of the American Psychiatric Association’s Assembly and on its Board of Trustees. She is a Clinical Professor at the Mt Sinai School of Medicine, a fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine, and a member of the American College of Psychiatrists.