Bill Frist

From his early career as a distinguished heart and lung transplant surgeon to serving as Senate Majority Leader, Bill Frist has dedicated his career to service, impacting healthcare policy and global health initiatives. After graduating with honors from Harvard Medical School in 1978, Bill Frist established himself as a distinguished heart and lung transplant surgeon for 16 years, becoming a recognized pioneer in the field. He performed the first heart-lung transplant in the Southeast and founded the Vanderbilt Transplant Center in 1989. Frist further solidified his medical career by performing Tennessee’s first single-lung transplant in 1990 and organized a statewide grassroots campaign in 1992 to reinstate the organ donation card on Tennessee driver’s licenses.

as a partner in 2008 and launched SCORE (State Collaborative on Reforming Education) in 2009. He served on the six-person board of the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund in 2010. Frist has since co-founded healthcare-focused ventures, including Aspire Health in 2013 and Frist Cressey Ventures in 2015, continuing his involvement in global health and healthcare investment. In 2022, he was elected as the Incoming Chair of The Nature Conservancy’s Board of Directors.