Following the Path

01 / THE PATIENT

A childhood shaped by heart care

I was diagnosed with congenital complete heart block as an infant in Tucson, Arizona. After years of cardiology visits, I received my first pacemaker at Phoenix Children’s Hospital shortly after turning nine.

I have had four pacemakers in my life. I know firsthand what it feels like to be the patient. As one of the few electrophysiologists who has experienced life on both sides of the scalpel, I bring that perspective to every patient I care for.

As a teenager, I hoped to become a military pilot. Learning that my pacemaker would prevent that career led me to a new question: could I work with the technology that had become part of my life?

02 / THE MEDICAL DEVICE ENGINEER

Understanding the technology—and the person

I graduated from Arizona State University with a degree in biomedical engineering and later earned an MBA. This path led me to work as a medical device engineer with a pacemaker manufacturer, caring for patients who, like me, relied on cardiac devices. I helped troubleshoot their devices and supported their implantation, combining technical knowledge with a personal understanding of what it meant to live with a pacemaker.

One visit changed my direction. A woman with a newly implanted pacemaker was frightened and unsure what it meant for her future. Sharing that I also lived with a pacemaker helped us connect. Explaining the device eased her anxiety. She encouraged me to become a doctor.

03 / THE ELECTROPHYSIOLOGIST

Why I became a doctor

That encounter inspired my journey into medicine and electrophysiology. My goal became caring for people with the knowledge of an engineer and the empathy of someone who has been a patient.

MY WORK TODAY

General cardiology and heart rhythm care

Today, I practice general cardiology and cardiac electrophysiology at Heart One Associates. Electrophysiology is the branch of cardiology focused on the heart’s electrical system, including abnormal rhythms and devices such as pacemakers and defibrillators.

I completed medical school at A.T. Still University, internal medicine residency at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, cardiovascular disease fellowship at Creighton University, and clinical cardiac electrophysiology fellowship at the University of Kansas.

Cardiology Made Clear with Dr. Freeman carries that same purpose into education: helping patients understand their condition and helping clinicians explain the choices ahead.