Harold P. Freeman, a pioneering oncology surgeon renowned for developing a patient navigation program to improve cancer care access for underserved populations, died on August 11 in Atlanta. He was 93. The death was confirmed by his son, Neale Freeman.
Dr. Freeman’s work at Harlem Hospital Center in New York was driven by his determination to address the disproportionately high mortality rates from breast cancer among poor Black women. He recognized early in his career that medical treatment alone was insufficient to combat cancer’s toll when patients faced systemic barriers to timely care.
Arriving at Harlem Hospital in 1967, Dr. Freeman was struck by the challenges his patients confronted, including poverty, lack of insurance, and cumbersome hospital procedures. Many women delayed seeking treatment due to difficulties navigating the health care system. One patient, for example, was initially dismissed by an emergency room doctor and told to obtain a Medicaid card—a process requiring travel across the city—before returning for appropriate care. This delay often resulted in diagnoses at advanced, less treatable stages.
In response, Dr. Freeman founded the Breast Examination Center of Harlem in 1979, a state-supported facility that removed registration requirements to improve screening accessibility. Building on this, he launched the patient navigation program in 1990, providing individualized assistance to guide patients through medical appointments, financial aid, and transportation needs. By 1995, these efforts had helped raise the five-year breast cancer survival rate at Harlem Hospital from 39% to 70%.
Dr. Freeman’s model of patient navigation became a global standard, influencing policy and legislation. The federal Patient Navigator Outreach and Chronic Disease Prevention Act of 2005 allocated $25 million toward similar programs nationwide. More recently, Medicare began reimbursing navigation services in 2024 for cancer and other high-risk conditions such as heart failure and HIV/AIDS.
Throughout his career, Dr. Freeman advocated for addressing economic and racial disparities in cancer outcomes. As chair of the American Cancer Society’s National Advisory Committee on Cancer Minorities in the 1980s, he underscored how poverty worsened survival rates, especially for Black Americans. His leadership in public hearings and research laid the groundwork for a broader understanding of social determinants affecting cancer care.
Dr. Freeman held prominent roles including chairing the President’s Cancer Panel, which advised three U.S. presidents on cancer policy, and serving as associate director for the National Cancer Institute’s Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities. He later led North General Hospital’s cancer center in East Harlem and established the Patient Navigation Institute at the Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Care and Prevention.
Born in Washington, D.C., in 1933, Freeman overcame the challenges of segregation to earn his medical degree at Howard University. His early experiences were marked by personal loss when his father died of testicular cancer, fueling his lifelong commitment to oncology and health equity.
Survivors include his wife, Artholian Palmer; sons Neale and Hall, both physicians; and three grandchildren. Colleagues remember Dr. Freeman as a transformative figure whose quiet determination reshaped cancer care for marginalized communities and whose legacy endures in efforts to eliminate health disparities.