He co-founded the Sullivan Commission; an initiative to encourage diversity within the medical profession, and co-authored In the Nation's Compelling Interest, published in 2004.
He has also written on the UK's and Canada's socialized medicine, American health-care financing, problems with professional liability insurance, and the usage of cardiac care units.
[1][5] In 1964, he established a private practice in San Pablo, California, as an internist with a special interest in occupational medicine, sickle cell anaemia and HIV/AIDS.
[6] Bristow, an advocate for widespread voluntary testing for sickle cell disease, and having been president of the California Society of Internal Medicine since 1974, was appointed to lead a committee established to re-draft the rules.
[6] In 1985, following a protest by around 200 medical students led by Benjamin Spock, Bristow was elected onto the AMA board of trustees.
[9] At the time, he told the press that he wanted to show that "competence is not determined by skin color",[8] and that he would advocate for better health care for minorities.
[15] He has consulted on numerous health issues in different organizations, including serving on advisory committees for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on smoking (1987–1994) and HIV infection (1989–1993).
[17] Following the publication of Missing Persons, he led and co-authored the IOM's In the Nation's Compelling Interest; Ensuring Diversity in the Health-Care Workforce, published in 2004.
[16] He has also written on the UK's and Canada's socialized medicine, American health-care financing, problems with professional liability insurance, and the usage of cardiac care units.