--- description: Find out why Amy O'Sullivan is one of the 100 most influential people of 2020. title: Amy O'Sullivan: The 100 Most Influential People of 2020 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt679e9fb63c984703/698a125516d8843eefc389e9/time-100-Amy-OSullivan.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Sep 22, 2020 # Amy O'Sullivan by Katie Couric  Amy O'Sullivan Amy O'SullivanPaola Kudacki for TIME The [sound of sirens](https://time.com/collection/coronavirus-heroes/5815747/coronavirus-paramedic-experience/ "undefined") is not unusual in New York City. But this spring, the [constant wailing was almost unbearable](https://time.com/5839056/new-york-city-burials-coronavirus/ "undefined"). Luckily, there was an army of [health care workers on the other end](https://time.com/collection/coronavirus-heroes/ "undefined"). Like Amy O’Sullivan, an 18-year veteran ER nurse at [Wyckoff hospital in Brooklyn](https://time.com/wyckoff-hospital-brooklyn-coronavirus/ "undefined"). She treated the first COVID-19 patient at the hospital, who became the [city’s first death](https://time.com/5803182/new-york-coronavirus-death/ "undefined") in early March, before the [importance of PPE](https://time.com/5823983/coronavirus-ppe-shortage/ "undefined") was truly understood. Amy began displaying symptoms a few days later. After she was intubated and spent four days on a ventilator, she went home to rest for less than two weeks before returning to work. Amy is just one of the millions of health care workers worldwide[ who risked everything to serve others](https://time.com/5808992/healthcare-workers-lack-ppe/ "undefined"). Many moved into hotels, spare bedrooms, even garages at the height of the pandemic to protect their families. From doctors to janitors, the entire ecosystem that keeps a hospital functioning became a new kind of ground zero, their exhausted eyes conveying competence and compassion. There are [two simple words for their heroism](https://time.com/collection/coronavirus-heroes/5816883/health-care-workers-coronavirus/ "undefined"): Thank you. [_Couric_](https://time.com/5818376/katie-couric-time-reports-video-series/ "undefined") _is an Emmy Award–winning journalist and the founder of Katie Couric Media_ [_Buy a print of TIME’s Amy O’Sullivan cover._](https://timecoverstore.com/featured/time-100-amy-osullivan-photograph-by-paola-kudacki-for-time.html "undefined") Amy O'Sullivan Is on the 2020 TIME 100 List ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2020/5888224/amy-osullivan/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2020/5888224/amy-osullivan/"},"headline":"Amy O'Sullivan","datePublished":"2020-09-22T23:28:35.000Z","dateModified":"2026-07-21T07:22:15.515Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2020/5888224/amy-osullivan/","keywords":["TIME 100","T100 2020","T100 2020 Icons"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt679e9fb63c984703/698a125516d8843eefc389e9/time-100-Amy-OSullivan.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"creator":"TIME Staff","articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt679e9fb63c984703/698a125516d8843eefc389e9/time-100-Amy-OSullivan.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2020/5888224/amy-osullivan/","name":"Amy O'Sullivan"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"TIME100 | Amy O' Sullivan","description":"Amy O'Sullivan is a nurse on the front lines battling Covid-19 and she is on the 2020 TIME100 list","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/xwgXNky5/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2020-09-23T01:35:48.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/xwgXNky5.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2020/5888224/amy-osullivan/","duration":"PT1M45S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2020/5888224/amy-osullivan/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```