On June 21, Dr. C. Freeman made history, becoming the Los Angeles County Medical Association’s (LACMA) first African-American and African-American female president. “California is so diverse, and it’s powerful for LACMA to reflect that. Choosing an African-American woman shows their commitment to diversity and inclusion,” Dr. Freeman says.
Yet, it’s about so much more than symbols.
“Physicians and healthcare are under siege,” Dr. Freeman explained. “Someone needs to represent the collective. I’m excited about the opportunity and humbled to be recognized by my colleagues as being worthy of leading them and serving as their representative.”
Becoming LACMA’s first female African-American president isn’t the first barrier Dr. Freeman has broken. She has been driven to break them from the start.
“When I was in junior high, I was accepted to both the High School for the Performing Arts and the High School for Health Professions. I decided to be a doctor. When people asked what kind, I told them ‘a cardiothoracic surgeon.’ Maybe because Dr. Michael DeBakey was a legend back home in Houston. Or maybe I just thought I was a pretty good stitcher,” she recalled with a laugh.
Dr. Freeman left home to attend Howard University in Washington, D.C., determined to make her mark.
“I was in the honors program, on the fast track with an overwhelming course load. I was far away from most of my family and friends, living off-campus, trying to adjust to East Coast weather — it was all a set up for failure,” Dr. Freeman remembers with a smile. She pushed herself so hard that for the first time since she was a child, she suffered severe asthma attacks. “I said to myself, there’s no point in pretending – this is going to kill me if I don’t stop.”
Yet that break helped Dr. Freeman discover her life’s work.
“I took a year off to do my divisional requirements. When I took psychology, I loved it so much I decided to pursue that as my major, with a minor in gerontology. In my senior year, I worked on a project at a senior citizen
daycare facility and after graduation was hired there as a recreational therapist. I was working with a patient who had problems, and when I sent her to the medical doctor, he just brushed her off. I thought, there really needs to be somebody who listens to, and advocates for, the elderly. Until people get old they don’t realize what it’s like to get old. How not nice it is in terms of how you’re treated. Some cultures correctly show extreme respect for elders — but Americans? No. We need to do better.”
Dr. Freeman went back to Howard University attending the medical school intent on becoming a geriatric psychiatrist. She then trained at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, completing a dual residency in both internal medicine and psychiatry before completing her MBA at Pepperdine University, Malibu.
Today, Dr. Freeman is a geriatric psychiatrist affiliated with California Hospital Medical Center in Los Angeles.
“My combination of skills enables me to help the business succeed while serving the population with high quality, culturally competent care. The culture of being an elder has different meanings in different societies, and that needs to be understood and respected.”
Dr. Freeman is devoted to her large extended family – as she describes it, “nieces, nephews, and godchildren, anybody who shows up on the doorstep. I’ve been known to care for many people, young and old. They take on familial names — new cousin, new nephew.”
Dr. Freeman has been a CAP member for more than a decade. “CAP people are awesome. I love the resources, communications, particularly around risk management, and the case-based learning that is available. It was founded by physicians, so it was built to take care of us, so we can take care of our patients. Both CAP and LACMA are invested in people’s survival not just as clinicians, but as human beings. Doctors are often so deep in the trenches that we forget we need people to protect us.”
If Dr. Freeman had chosen the High School for the Performing Arts, she might have made her mark on the stage. “My mother was a music teacher, and taught Leontyne Price. My uncle was a conductor. As a kid, I wanted to be the next Julie Andrews, the singing and dancing actress.”
Does she have any regrets about the path she chose? Not one.
“I absolutely love my work. I love sitting down and talking with the elderly, hearing their stories, and learning about life.”
We’re sure Dr. Freeman’s patients love her choice, too.
Dr. Freeman AT-A-GLANCE
Medical Specialty: Geriatric Psychiatry
Practice Location: Los Angeles, California
Years in Practice: 20
CAP Member Since: 2006