Northfield, VT – Practicing medicine will soon become a family affair at UVM Health Network – Central Vermont Medical Center’s Green Mountain Family Practice as Matthew Sullivan, MD, joins his father Dr. Craig Sullivan in Northfield where he has been a doctor for more than 30 years.
“Returning to Northfield and working with my father in the community I grew up in is an amazing opportunity. I am both literally and figuratively returning home,” said Dr. Sullivan.
Dr. Sullivan attended medical school at the University of Vermont College of Medicine and completed his residency training in Seattle at Swedish Family Medicine – First Hill. He received his undergraduate degree in English from Dartmouth College with an emphasis in film studies. His work after college, creating documentary films focused on public health systems in developing countries, served as an inspiration for him to go back to medical school.
“Doing film work in Bolivia I saw primary care being provided by local health workers. They had an intimate understanding of both their communities and the people living there, and it allowed them to provide excellent care,” said Dr. Sullivan. “I thought, ‘I want to do that.’”
It was this desire to be part of a small community, where he could have a long-term relationship with his patients, which brought him back home after three years as a family physician for the Qliance Medical Group in Kent, Wash.
“In my mind, appreciating people, their stories and their role in the community is the foundation of a good patient/physician relationship. Actually being a part of the community myself will definitely add meaning and real value to the care I can provide,” he said.
Dr. Sullivan and his wife, Nancy, a Nurse Practitioner, have an 11-month-old daughter, Evelyn. They are returning to Vermont after seven years in Seattle. In his spare time he enjoys exploring the woods, sailing, playing rugby and reading a good book.
Green Mountain Family Practice is located at 87 Paine Mountain Road in Northfield.