Melissa Freeman
Melissa Freeman | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 26, 1926 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | December 9, 2024 (aged 98) New York City, U.S. |
| Education | High School of Music & Art |
| Alma mater | Hunter College Howard University College of Medicine |
| Employer | Beth Israel Hospital |
Melissa M. Freeman (April 26, 1926 – December 9, 2024) was an American physician based at the Beth Israel Medical Center.
Early life and education
Freeman was born in The Bronx, New York on April 26, 1926. Her grandfather was born a slave in the 1850s, and was a teenager when the Emancipation Proclamation was signed.[1] Freeman grew up in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.[2] She attended High School of Music & Art, where she most enjoyed physiology and social work. She graduated Howard University College of Medicine in 1955, where she attended night classes and worked several day jobs.[1] She was one of only 4 women in a class of 150 students.[3]
Career
Freeman completed an internship at Kings County Hospital Center and a residency at Nassau University Medical Center.[1] She began practicing medicine in 1961.[4] Working with Vincent Dole and Marie Nyswander, she developed the use of methadone to treat heroin addiction.[1] She was one of the first doctors to treat women using methadone maintenance.[5][3] She set up her own internal medicine practice in Harlem in 1981.
She worked at Beth Israel Hospital for over 50 years.[6] She runs a methadone maintenance program in New York, and mentors young doctors.[7][8][9]
Freeman inspired Valentin Bonilla Jr, Chief Physician Assistant at the Mount Sinai Beth Israel Opioid Treatment Program, to pursue a career in medication-assisted treatment.[10]
Personal life and death
Freeman was Catholic.[11][12] She died in The Bronx on December 9, 2024, at the age of 98.[13]
References
- ^ a b c d "A granddaughter of a slave is on the front lines of the opioid epidemic". Retrieved 2018-04-07.
- ^ Eyewitness News ABC7NY (2018-02-12), Black History Month profile: Dr. Melissa M. Freeman, retrieved 2018-04-07
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ a b Iris (2018-03-09), Meet the 91-Year-Old Doctor Who's the Granddaughter of Slaves | Iris, retrieved 2018-04-07
- ^ "Black History Month profile: Dr. Melissa M. Freeman". ABC7 New York. 2018-02-02. Retrieved 2018-04-07.
- ^ Joseph, Herman; Woods, Joycelyn (2006-12-01). "In the Service of Patients: The Legacy of Dr. Dole". Heroin Addiction and Related Clinical Problems. 8.
- ^ "MELISSA FREEMAN | Mount Sinai - New York". Mount Sinai Health System. Retrieved 2018-04-07.
- ^ Fernandez, Manny (2007-12-09). "Opening Young Eyes to a Prize: a Career in Medicine". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2018-04-07.
- ^ "News and Events - Recovery in Harlem: Health, Medical and Recovery from Drugs and Alcohol Services from CREATE, Inc. in Harlem". www.createinc.org. Retrieved 2018-04-07.
- ^ "Our Health, Our History". AHHE.ORG. 2018-01-22. Retrieved 2018-04-07.
- ^ "An Interview with Valentin Bonilla Jr". Opioid Treatment Providers of Georgia. 2016-09-13. Retrieved 2018-04-07.
- ^ Strong Catholic faith, family history of Dr. Freeman - EWTN News Nightly, 9 March 2020, retrieved 2021-07-05
- ^ Flynn, Colm (2020-06-16). "94-Year-Old Doctor, Granddaughter of a Slave, Continues to Inspire". National Catholic Register. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
- ^ Flynn, Colm (15 December 2024). "Remembering Dr. Melissa Freeman, Granddaughter to a Slave: A Life of Service". National Catholic Register. Retrieved 16 January 2025.