Bill Frist

EXCLUSIVE
  • Heart-Lung Transplant Surgeon, Physician, and Authority on Healthcare Policy
  • U.S. Senator (R-TN) (1995-2007) and U.S. Senate Majority Leader (2003-2007)
  • Chairman of the Global Board, The Nature Conservancy
  • Host, 'A Second Opinion' Podcast

Uniquely qualified to discuss the challenges and solutions in health and climate policy, William H. Frist, MD is a heart and lung transplant surgeon and former two-term Republican U.S. Senator from Tennessee who served as U.S. Senate Majority Leader from 2003 to 2007. He ascended to that position, the highest-ranking elected official in his party, after spending fewer years in Congress than anyone in history.

Today, Senator Frist is the Global Board Chair of The Nature Conservancy (TNC), the world’s largest conservation organization.  As chairman, he is committed to preserving the health of our planet, recognizing that population health is empirically linked to healthy ecosystems. He also is Founding Partner at Nashville’s Frist Cressey Ventures, and he has founded two “unicorn” companies ($1B valuation) that serve the healthcare needs of hundreds of thousands of patients across the United States. He is a respected national leader in business and venture capital. Two of his companies have been in the top three companies for the past two years on the INC5000 list of fastest growing companies in America. He also hosts the healthcare podcast A Second Opinion: Rethinking American Health.

He is actively engaged in the business as well as the medical, humanitarian, and philanthropic communities.

 


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Past Hosts Include:
  • Marsh
  • Premier Health Alliance
  • Indiana University
  • McKesson Provider Technologies
  • Premiere Inc.
  • Furman University
  • American Society for Surgery of the Hand
  • Biotechnology Industry Organization
  • Astellas Pharma
  • HealthLogix
Rave Reviews About Bill Frist
Senator Frist was the 'Wow' factor for our HealthForum event. He spoke so knowledgeably about the current healthcare landscape in the U.S. and was even handed in his critique of the plans being proposed by all presidential candidates. Our clients were amazed at his grasp of the issues and his ability to educate us all to the intricacies involved in improving our healthcare 'sector' and making it a true 'system'. He could not have been a better speaker for our group. Senator Frist was approachable to all, spoke for a solid hour, took questions for a full 30 minutes and then stayed to speak with individuals through dinner. The feedback from our clients, who represent the full political spectrum, was phenomenal.”

Bill Frist: Why is Innovation in Healthcare different? | Distributed Health - Get Sharable Link
Talks & Conversations with Bill Frist
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Climate Change

Senator and Dr. BILL FRIST provides his perspective as Chairman of the Global Board of the Nature Conservancy, the nation’s largest conservation organization, on what personal, organizational, and policy-first steps we can take to protect our environment and our futures. ...

Senator and Dr. BILL FRIST provides his perspective as Chairman of the Global Board of the Nature Conservancy, the nation’s largest conservation organization, on what personal, organizational, and policy-first steps we can take to protect our environment and our futures.

Intersection of Nature and Health

The World Health Organization has described the climate crisis as the “single biggest health threat facing humanity.”  Empirical evidence increasingly demonstrates that spending time in nature has proven health benefits, while climate change and intensifying storm patterns have been linked to poorer ...

The World Health Organization has described the climate crisis as the “single biggest health threat facing humanity.”  Empirical evidence increasingly demonstrates that spending time in nature has proven health benefits, while climate change and intensifying storm patterns have been linked to poorer health and additional stressors on health systems. Drawing from Senator BILL FRIST’s experience in medical practice, in operating working farms, and chairing the board of a major global conservation organization, he links the importance of preserving our planet and building green cities and health systems to improving future health outcomes.

Leadership Lessons from a Senator-Doctor-Investor

Senator BILL FRIST provides unique insights – and lessons learned – from a fascinating career that includes practicing at the highest levels of medicine – founding the Vanderbilt Multi-Organ Transplant Center at a time when transplants were often considered experimental; leading the United States Se ...

Senator BILL FRIST provides unique insights – and lessons learned – from a fascinating career that includes practicing at the highest levels of medicine – founding the Vanderbilt Multi-Organ Transplant Center at a time when transplants were often considered experimental; leading the United States Senate as the youngest member ever elected to that position; and today building dynamic healthcare businesses that solve for our nation’s greatest health challenges through value-based approaches.

Building a Successful Health Services Company

Perspective from BILL FRIST, a Partner and Executive Committee Chairman at the successful private equity firm Cressey and Company — which has invested and managed over $2 billion of healthcare investments, founding partner of Frist Cressey Ventures, and co-founder of Aspire Health. How private equit ...

Perspective from BILL FRIST, a Partner and Executive Committee Chairman at the successful private equity firm Cressey and Company — which has invested and managed over $2 billion of healthcare investments, founding partner of Frist Cressey Ventures, and co-founder of Aspire Health. How private equity and venture capital contributes to building companies that offer solutions to problems that government can’t address, and can be profitable while pursuing a social mission.

Creating a Culture of Health

Health care is not the driver of health. Our behaviors, shaped by our physical and social environment, are the primary determinants of health and well-being.  Knowing this, can a community create a culture of health that drives better health outcomes without costly interventions? BILL FRIST draws fr ...

Health care is not the driver of health. Our behaviors, shaped by our physical and social environment, are the primary determinants of health and well-being.  Knowing this, can a community create a culture of health that drives better health outcomes without costly interventions? BILL FRIST draws from personal experience establishing the collective-impact organization “NashvilleHealth,” and building businesses that address drivers of health outcomes further upstream.

Global health, International Relief, and Strategic Health Diplomacy

Reflections from personal experiences of practicing medicine and delivering care in 7 countries in Africa, as well as personally providing on the ground medical assistance immediately after Katrina, the Indian Ocean Tsunami, and the Haiti earthquake. This is centered on Senator BILL FRIST’s own medi ...

Reflections from personal experiences of practicing medicine and delivering care in 7 countries in Africa, as well as personally providing on the ground medical assistance immediately after Katrina, the Indian Ocean Tsunami, and the Haiti earthquake. This is centered on Senator BILL FRIST’s own medical volunteerism and his commitment to using “medicine as a currency for peace,” as well as his leadership role in enacting PEPFAR, a federal investment of nearly $100 billion in the global HIV/AIDS response, the largest commitment by any nation to address a single disease in history, saving 21 million lives and counting.


 

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Speaker News

Senator Bill Frist’s Forbes column explores climate, healthcare, and policy

Senator and Dr. BILL FRIST’s widely-read Forbes column explores climate change, healthcare, and policy:

November, 2024: The Hidden Mental Health Crisis: Psychological And Mental Health Impacts Of The Changing Climate

October, 2024: The Hidden Heroes Of Agriculture: Why The Farm Bill Matters More Than Ever

September, 2024: Giving States The Tools To Decide For Themselves How To Fight Climate Change Is The Right Approach

Watch Senator Bill Frist’s TEDmed talk >>

Senator Bill Frist’s impact on policy as a community health expert physician

Senator and Dr. BILL FRIST has been at the forefront of many debates and government initiatives that have shaped a myriad of policies over the years, including the legislation that created the Medicare prescription drug plan and Medicare Advantage, as well as PEPFAR, the largest commitment by any nation to address a single disease in history, saving 21 million lives from HIV/AIDS.

Senator Frist brings an experienced voice to the current issues of health reform, education, government policy, climate change, global health issues, and volunteerism.

Watch Dr. Bill Frist’s keynote for Distributed Health >>

Senator Bill Frist receives rave reviews for his live events

Senator and Dr. BILL FRIST receives consistent rave reviews for his engaging, informative events:

  • Marsh: “Senator Frist was the 'Wow' factor for our HealthForum event.”
  • Premiere Inc.: “The Senator was gracious, wise, thoughtful and very well received by our attendees. In fact, a number of them are asking for copies of his presentation.”
  • Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation: "Senator Frist was wonderful. We received so many comments about how nice it was that he ‘did his homework’ and spoke about topics that were relevant to our audience and our organization."

Watch Senator Bill Frist speak at the TIME 100 Conference >>

 

Bill Frist's Podcast 'A Second Opinion' aims to improve healthcare in the U.S.

BILL FRIST's A Second Opinion is a podcast with a mission: it aims to substantially improve health and healthcare in communities across America through education and engagement at the nexus of policy, medicine and innovation. In over 200 weekly episodes and counting, Frist addresses today's challenging healthcare issues from three distinct vantage points - policy, medicine, and innovation - speaking to clinicians as a physician, policymakers as a former Senator, and executives and investors as a business founder, investor and board member. Frist's keynotes showcase the same compelling combination of varied experience and perspective, weaving insights on technology, leadership, policy, innovation and medicine into the crucial conversation surrounding healthcare.

Watch Bill Frist's TEDmed Talk here >>

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Books by Bill Frist
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Press & Media
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Biography

Senator William Frist, MD, is a nationally recognized heart and lung transplant surgeon, former U.S. Senate Majority Leader, founding partner of Frist Cressey Ventures and chairman of the Executives Council of the health service investment firm Cressey & Company.  

Dr. Frist is host of the popular podcast “A Second Opinion, Rethinking American Health”, which focuses on the intersection of health, policy and innovation.  He is actively engaged in the business as well as the medical, humanitarian, and philanthropic communities.

As a U.S. Senator representing Tennessee from 1994 -2006 (the first practicing physician elected to the Senate since 1928), Dr. Frist was elected Majority Leader of the Senate, having served fewer total years in Congress than any person chosen to lead that body in history. His leadership was instrumental in the passage of the 2003 Medicare Modernization Act that established Medicare Advantage and the historic PEPFAR legislation that has provided life-saving treatment globally to 20 million people.

Senator Frist graduated from Princeton University and Harvard Medical School, and completed surgical training at Massachusetts General Hospital and Stanford.  As the founder of the Vanderbilt Multi-Organ Transplant Center, he performed over 150 heart and lung transplants, authored over 100 peer-reviewed medical articles, and published seven books on topics such as bioterrorism, transplantation and leadership.  He is board certified in both general and heart surgery.

As a leading authority on healthcare, Senator Frist speaks nationally on health reform, government policy, global health, and education reform. He is Co-Chair of the Health Project at the Bipartisan Policy Center and co-founder of Aspire Health, the nation’s largest non-hospice community-based palliative care company. His board service includes the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, and four publicly-traded companies: AECOM, Select Medical, Teladoc Health, and Smile Direct Club.

Dr. Frist is married and has three sons and lives on a farm in Franklin, Tennessee.


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