Dr. Freeman is a professor of medicine and pediatrics at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. He was the chief of the school’s Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition from 2009 to 2022, and he has served as the program director for the advanced endoscopy fellowship and as the medical director of total pancreatectomy with islet autotransplantation for chronic pancreatitis. Dr. Freeman has trained multiple therapeutic endoscopists, many of whom are now leaders in the field. His efforts in endoscopic techniques, education and mentoring have been recognized by various national and international organizations. Dr. Freeman was the lead author of three educational DVDs for the ASGE, including ones on techniques for biliary access during ERCP, endoscopic therapy of pancreatic disease and interventions for necrotizing pancreatitis.
Dr. Freeman received ASGE’s Master of Endoscopy Award in 2012, he served as the president of the American Pancreatic Association (APA) in 2013, he received APA’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018 and he was honored as a master of the American College of Gastroenterology in 2019 and as a master of the ASGE in 2020. Dr. Freeman's main clinical and research interests involve pancreatic and biliary disorders, with a focus on interventional endoscopy. He has published over 30 textbook chapters and 250 peer reviewed articles. Dr. Freeman is also credited with writing several index papers as the principal author, including ones addressing a multicenter study on ERCP complications for The New England Journal of Medicine, a multivariable model for prediction of post ERCP pancreatitis for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, guidelines for managing acute pancreatitis for The American Journal of Gastroenterology and the first consensus paper and systematic review on interventions for necrotizing pancreatitis for Pancreas. His papers have received the most citations of any author on the topic of ERCP. Other research and clinical foci include the drainage of malignant hilar obstruction, the treatment of sphincter of Oddi dysfunction – for which he was a contributor to a multicenter NIH funded randomized trial – the management of severe acute pancreatitis, recurrent acute pancreatitis and cholangiocarcinoma and the diagnosis and management of chronic pancreatitis.