Robert Mark Freedom - Circa 22 August 2003

Dr. Robert Mark Freedom one of fraternal twins, was born in Baltimore, Maryland on February 27, 1941, but grew up in Southern California.

He was graduated from UCLA receiving his BA in zoology with highest honors. He received his MD also from UCLA, graduating with honors and Alpha Omega Alpha. While at UCLA medical school, he pursued a post-sophomore year in the pathology of congenital heart disease, mentored at that time by Drs. Arthur Moss, Forrest Adams, and George Emmanoulides amongst others.

Perhaps one of the defining events in his career was the elective study period also taken during medical school with Richard and Stella Van Praagh in the Cardiac Registry of the Children's Hospital in Boston.

This period framed his life-long interest in the pathology of congenital heart disease. His residency in pediatrics was taken at the Children's Hospital in Boston followed by his training in pediatric cardiology also at the Boston Children's Hospital, this latter period of training under the aegis of the 'father' of pediatric cardiology, Dr. Alexander S. Nadas.

Following his pediatric cardiology training in Boston he was recruited to Johns Hopkins University and Hospital by Dr. Richard Rowe to head the diagnostic pediatric cardiology cardiac catheterization facility.

In 1973 Dr. Rowe was recruited to the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto to direct the cardiology Division, and Dick asked Bob to join him in Toronto. Bob was delighted to do so, moving to Toronto in 1974. Bob was quickly promoted to associate and then full professor of pediatrics in the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine with cross appointments in pathology and medical imaging.

In 1985 Bob succeeded Dick as director of the division of cardiology, remaining in that position until the fall of 2000, stepping down at that time because of illness. A years sabbatical beginning in the fall of 2001 was devoted to largely writing and editing "The Natural and Modified History of Congenital Heart Disease". This exhaustive work was published in November, 2003. Bob retired from HSC at the end of December, 2001, relocating to a small rural fishing village in southwestern Nova Scotia.

During his years in Baltimore and then Toronto, his scholarly activities were directed primarily to the correlation of complex cardiac anatomy with angiographic imaging. He was perhaps the first to recognize that the ventriculo-coronary connections in pulmonary atresia and intact ventricular septum predisposed to myocardial ischemia.

In his many publications devoted to patients with this anomaly he fully characterized those coronary artery abnormalities contributing to a right ventricular-dependent coronary circulation, and how this recognition altered therapy. He was amongst the first to fully document the change in form and function of the univentricular heart following palliative pulmonary artery banding, and how the development of profound myocardial hypertrophy became a risk factor for univentricular palliation. Bob had a long interest in the many abnormalities of the pulmonary circulation in patients with complex forms of pulmonary atresia and he published extensively in this area. He was amongst the first to fully explore the angocardiographic features of hearts with supero-inferior ventricles and twisted atrioventricular connections.

With his more than 375 peer-reviewed publications, 120 book chapters and with the completion of his 8th book, "The Natural and Modified History of Congenital Heart Disease", he has explored through the correlation of pathology with angiographic imaging the entire landscape of congenital cardiac anomalies. He obviously loved to write, and he was particularly proud of The Angiocardiography of Congenital Heart Disease published in 1984, Neonatal Heart Disease published in 1992, and the two volumes, Congenital Heart Disease-Textbook of Angiocardiography published in 1997.

He was highly sought after as an international speaker and he saw himself as an ambassador for the Hospital for Sick Children and for Canadian pediatric cardiology. In this regard he was particularly thrilled to become a Canadian citizen in 2000, sworn-in at the Hospital for Sick Children surrounded by his colleagues, nurses, and trainees. But he thought of himself as far more than an author - he took great pride in his patient care activities, both in-patient, ambulatory and in the catheter-laboratory. His patients, their families and his trainees recognized that he was selfless in his devotion to them.

He also took great pride in his educational activities and was very proud of the teaching awards, won both at Johns Hopkins and then in Toronto. He was especially honored to win the Council Award of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario and to be named to the Order of Ontario, both in 2000. In October 2003, he was presented (in absentia) with the Annual Achievement Award by the Canadian Cardiovascular society at its October meeting.

Throughout his entire career, he was devoted to education - the education of those who chose pediatric cardiology as their life blood. He devoted hours to his trainees, to their education, and to their lives. He constantly reminded them how fortunate he was to have been mentored throughout the formative years of his career, This mentoring began with those at UCLA who originally supported his interest and enthusiasm for congenital heart disease while he was still a medical student to Dr. Alexander Nadas and his colleagues in Boston who continued to mold, and stimulate and nurture him.

He mentored his trainees as he had been mentored and his staff as well. Clearly one of the most influential individuals in his life, both personally and professionally was the late Richard D. Rowe, a man diminutive in physical stature, but a giant in integrity and devotion to the art and science and practice of pediatric cardiovascular medicine. Bob frequently reminded his trainees and colleagues as Dick Rowe had done that while the practice of medicine may change, dedication to patient care, education and research is a constant platform. Bob loved the Hospital for Sick Children, and he stated often how privileged he was to practice his specialty at that wonderful institution.

Finally, in his spare time Bob loved to read, particularly biography, with an emphasis on Oscar Wilde and his circle, collecting extensively in Wildeana. In the final period of his life, Bob had hoped retirement would permit him to devote more time to family, friends and literature. Quoting Eddie Joe Cotton from his recently published book 'Hobo', Bob reflected on his life as an academic pediatric cardiologist: it has been a kick!

Robert Mark Freedom - Circa 15 March 2009: Web Masters Note: Robert was inducted into the Paediatric Cardiology Hall of Fame in 2005.

Dr. Robert M. Freedom was a mentor, a source of inspiration, shared my passion for Macintosh Computers and most importantly, a friend, for which I will beforever grateful.

Hardly a day goes by that I don't think of him. I miss him, that infectious, mischievous laughter, good hearted nature, that sound that could only be attributed to him when he was deep in thought or about to make a tough decision, even the aroma of the occasional Cuban cigar.

The World truly became a better place when it was blessed with his presence and I just know that somewhere the good Doctor is making ready his next manuscript on the latest Macintosh - Don Klees

The pages presented here are a tribute to his memory.