WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Proclaiming he is ready to take a sabbatical from public life, outgoing Sen. Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tennessee, officially declared Wednesday he will not seek the White House in 2008.

"Karyn and I will take a sabbatical from public life," Frist said in a statement.

"At this point a return to private life will allow me to return to my professional roots as a healer and to refocus my creative energies on innovative solutions to seemingly insurmountable challenges Americans face."

Frist, who spent 20 years as a doctor before running for senate in 1994, says he looks forward to being a "strong voice" across the world on issues of healthcare.

"In the short term, I will resume my regular medical mission trips as a doctor around the world to serve those in poverty, in famine, and in civil war," Frist said.

"I will continue to be a strong voice to fix what is broken in our health care system and to address the issues of clean water and public health globally."