COMMUNITY OUTREACH/EDUCATION
Harold P. Freeman, MD
Founder, Harold P. Freeman Patient Navigation Institute
The father of patient navigation systems
Acceptance Speech
- Harold P. Freeman, MD, is chairman emeritus and founder of the Ralph
Lauren Center for Cancer Care and Prevention, and professor emeritus
of surgery at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.
His work and accomplishments include:
- Past chairman of the US President´s Cancer Panel
- Past national president of the American Cancer Society
- Chief architect of the American Cancer Society´s “Initiative on Cancer in the Poor”
- Author of the Report to the Nation on Cancer in the Poor, which demonstrated the barriers that underserved populations often face in the healthcare system
- Pioneered the Patient Navigation Program, which addresses disparities in access to diagnosis and treatment, particularly among poor and uninsured individuals
- The Patient Navigator, Outreach, and Chronic Disease Prevention Act was based on the Freeman Patient Navigation model and signed into law by President Bush in June 2005
- Recipient of numerous awards, including the Mary Lasker Award for Public Service, the American Cancer Society´s Medal of Honor, the CDC Foundation´s Champion of Prevention Award, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation´s Jill Rose Award, the American Society of Clinical Oncology´s Special Recognition Award, the Avon Breast Cancer National Leadership Award, and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer National Foundatio´s Betty Ford Award
