Book Bill Frist

Bill Frist is an American heart and lung transplant surgeon, businessman and former Senate majority leader who has spent his life at the crossroads of medicine and public policy. Born in Nashville, he studied health policy at Princeton, earned his medical degree at Harvard Medical School, trained in cardiothoracic transplant surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital and Stanford, and founded the Vanderbilt Transplant Center. In 1994 he unseated incumbent Jim Sasser to win an U.S. Senate seat from Tennessee, which he held from 1995 to 2007. After chairing the National Republican Senatorial Committee, he led the Senate majority from 2003 until 2007, helping pass the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003 and the Medicare Modernization Act before keeping his pledge to serve only two terms. His honors include the Golden Plate Award in 2001 and the Dr. Nathan Davis Award in 2004. Since leaving office he has chaired the global board of The Nature Conservancy, co-founded Frist Cressey Ventures, co-chaired the Bipartisan Policy Center's Health Project and hosted A Second Opinion Podcast from 2019 to 2022. He speaks on health care, leadership and conservation.