A New Executive Director for The Eye Institute

Tim Sullivan, MHA, the new executive director of The Eye Institute (TEI) of Drexel University, has a family history of service. So after graduate school at The Ohio State University, he joined the U.S. Navy as a hospital administrator in the Medical Service Corps.

About halfway through his first assignment at the Naval Hospital in Pensacola, Florida, he received orders for a deployment to Afghanistan in support of the U.S. Army as part of the Combined Joint Task Force Phoenix in Kabul, Afghanistan. His role there was to oversee staffing and clinical operations at about 25 "Troop Medical Clinics" at various forward operating bases.

Those responsibilities included tracking injured personnel, their whereabouts and the progression of their treatment and care, as well as their likely return to duty date.

“It was important for leadership to have a good handle on this in the event that additional staffing requests were needed to fill mission needs,” said Sullivan. “I learned a few key lessons that have served me well throughout my career.”

More specifically, Sullivan said he acquired a sense of “no job I ever do again will be this stressful,” and as such “I don’t get rattled easily under emergencies or pressure.”

All of which makes him the perfect candidate to lead TEI.

“Tim brings more than two decades of distinguished leadership in academic healthcare, with extensive experience in clinical operations, strategic planning, financial management, and organizational transformation,” said Josephine Ibironke, OD ‘03, Resident ‘04, MPH, FAAO, dean of the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO). “Throughout his career, he has successfully led large multidisciplinary teams, managed complex healthcare operations and multimillion-dollar budgets, improved operational performance, expanded clinical services, and built strong partnerships that advance both patient care and education.”

Sullivan comes to TEI after 10 years as a department administrator at Thomas Jefferson University and Hospitals. According to Dr. Ibironke, as executive director, Sullivan will provide strategic and operational leadership for TEI, ensuring excellence in patient care, strengthening the clinical education environment, enhancing operational and financial performance, fostering community partnerships, and supporting the continued growth of the clinical enterprise.

Sullivan said that as he was considering job opportunities, the role at TEI stood out because of the rich legacies of history and innovation at TEI, PCO and Drexel and the promise of what the future may hold.

“During my interview process, I was impressed across the board: the faculty, staff, the very intentional design of the clinic and the patient experience,” said Sullivan, whose appointment became effective in mid-July 2026. “It also became immediately clear to me how important the mission of PCO and TEI is to the community.”

Sullivan said his short-term goals include learning as much as he can as fast as he can about TEI and planning for a successful EPIC go-live in March 2027 (EPIC is the leading software company that builds electronic health records). He has been through five EPIC go-lives in his career and expects to hit the ground running for the implementation. He added that he is also looking forward to continuing to build on existing and forge new collaborations between TEI and the larger Drexel network and the community.

Sullivan and his wife, a teacher at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, are the parents of an eight-year-old daughter, have a small dog named Rocco and live in East Falls.

“My first few weeks here confirmed my assessment: TEI has world class programs and people and is an absolute gem,” said Sullivan. “I am honored to have this leadership opportunity at TEI, am fortunate to have an excellent team here and I’m excited to join TEI at such a dynamic time.”