Martin Freeman, MD

Dr. Freeman is chief of the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, medical director of the program for total pancreatectomy and islet autotransplantation and director of the advanced pancreaticobiliary endoscopy fellowship at the University of Minnesota. He has trained numerous advanced endoscopists, many of whom have gone on to leadership positions, and has led and participated in numerous courses in Advanced Endoscopy for the ASGE. He was the lead author on three educational DVD's for the ASGE including techniques for biliary access during ERCP, endoscopic therapy of pancreatic disease, and on interventions for necrotizing pancreatitis. He received the Master of Endoscopy Award by the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy in 2012, served as President of the American Pancreatic Association in 2013, and in 2019 was honored as a Master of the American College of Gastroenterology.

Dr Freeman's main clinical and research interests involve pancreatic and biliary disorders, with a focus on interventional endoscopy. Dr. Freeman has published over 30 textbook chapters, and 250 peer reviewed articles, including several index papers for which he was the principal author: a multicenter study on ERCP complications in the New England Journal of Medicine, a multivariable model for prediction of post ERCP pancreatitis in Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, guidelines for the management of acute pancreatitis in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, and a consensus paper and a systematic review on interventions for necrotizing pancreatitis in the journals Pancreas, and recently in Gastroenterology . Other research areas include drainage of malignant hilar obstruction and treatment of sphincter of Oddi dysfunction, for which he was a contributor to a recently completed multicenter NIH funded randomized trial. Major directions of his clinical interests and research at present include management of severe acute pancreatitis, recurrent acute pancreatitis, pancreaticobiliary cancers, and diagnosis and management of chronic pancreatitis.

• Master of the American College of Gastroenterology (2019) 
• Minnesota Monthly "Best Doctor" (2014-present)
• Master Endoscopist Award, American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (2012)
• US News & World Report Top Doctor (2012 - present)
• Mpls.St. Paul Magazine "Top Doctor" (2001-present)
• Best Doctors in America® (2011-2012, 2013)

• Freeman ML, Nelson DB, Sherman S, Haber GB, Herman ME, et al. Complications of endoscopic biliary sphincterotomy. N Engl J Med. 1996;335:909-918
• Freeman ML, DiSario JA, Nelson DB, Fennerty MB, Lee JG, Bjorkman DJ, et al. Risk factors for post-ERCP pancreatitis: a prospective, multicenter study. Gastrointest Endosc. 2001;54:425-34
• Mallery S, Matlock J, Freeman ML. EUS-guided rendezvous drainage of obstructed pancreatic and bile ducts. Gastrointest Endosc. 2004;59:100-7
• Freeman ML, Werner J, van Santvoort HC, Baron TH, Besselink MG, Windsor JA, Horvath KD, Vansonnenberg E, Bollen TL, Vege SS; and An International Multidisciplinary Panel of Speakers and Moderators. Interventions for Necrotizing Pancreatitis: Summary of a Multidisciplinary Consensus Conference. Pancreas. 2012;41:1176-1194
• Trikudanathan G, Arain M, Attam R, Mallery S, Freeman ML Endoscopic interventions for necrotizing pancreatitis. Am J Gastroenterol. 2014 Jul;109(7):969-81174.Bellin MD, Kerdsirichairat T, Beilman GJ, Dunn TB, Chinnakotla S, Pruett TL, Radosevich DR, Schwarzenberg SJ, Sutherland DE, Arain MA, Freeman ML. Total Pancreatectomy with Islet Autotransplantation Improves Quality of Life in Patients with Refractory Recurrent Acute Pancreatitis. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2016;14:1317-23. 175.
• Trikudanathan G, Vega-Peralta J, Malli A, Munigala S, Han Y, Bellin M, Barlass U, Chinnakotla S, Dunn T, Pruett T, Beilman G, Arain M, Amateau SK, Mallery S, Freeman ML, Attam R. Diagnostic Performance of Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS) for Non-Calcific Chronic Pancreatitis (NCCP) Based on Histopathology. Am J Gastroenterol. 2016;111:568-74 176.
• Mallick R, Rank K, Ronstrom C, Amateau SK, Arain M, Attam R, Freeman ML, Harmon JV. Single-session laparoscopic cholecystectomy and ERCP: a valid option for the management of choledocholithiasis. Gastrointest Endosc. 2016 Mar 11. pii: S0016-5107(16)00274-1. doi: 10.1016/j.gie.2016.02.050. [Epub ahead of print]
• Amateau SK, Freeman ML. Dual Device Cannulation of an Intradiverticular Minor Papilla. Gastrointest Endosc. 2016 Mar 28. pii: S0016-5107(16)01776-4. doi: 10.1016/j.gie.2016.03.1482. [Epub ahead of print] 178.
• Freeman ML. Update on post-ERCP pancreatitis 2016: Curr Treat Options Gastroenterol. 2016 Sep;14(3):340-7
• Attam R, Freeman ML. Endoscopic papillary large balloon dilation for large common bile duct stones. J Hepatobiliary Pancreat Surg. 2009;16:618-23
• Safdar K, Atiq M, Stewart C, Freeman ML. Biliary tract complications after liver transplantation. Expert Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 2009;3:183-195
• Kinney TP, Li R, Gupta K, Mallery S, Hunter D, Jensen E, Vickers S, Freeman ML. Therapeutic pancreatic endoscopy after Whipple resection requires rendezvous access Endoscopy. 2009;41:898-901
• Kinney TP, Freeman ML. Pancreatic imaging: current state of the art. Gastroenterology. 2009;136:776-9
• Bourke MJ, Costamagna G, Freeman ML. Biliary cannulation during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography: core technique and recent innovations Endoscopy. 2009;41:612-7
• Gupta K, Freeman ML. Enteral and colonic self-expanding metallic stents. Rev Gastroenterol Disord. 2008;8:83-97
• Perdue DG, Freeman ML, Disario JA, Nelson DB, Fennerty MB, Lee JG, Overby CS, Ryan ME, Bochna GS, Snady HW, Moore JP; the ERCP Outcome Study (ERCOST) group. Plastic versus self-expanding metallic stents for malignant hilar biliary obstruction: a prospective multicenter observational cohort study. 2008;42:1040-6.
• Freeman ML. Pancreatic stents for prevention of post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography pancreatitis. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2007;5:1354-65
• Freeman ML, Gill M, Overby C, Cen Y. Predictors of outcomes after biliary and pancreatic sphincterotomy for sphincter of Oddi dysfunction. J Clin Gastroentero. 2007;41:94-102
• Banks P, Freeman ML. Guidelines for management of acute pancreatitis. Am J Gastroenterol 2006;101:2379–2400