HMHI Expert Spotlight: Martin Freimer, MD
Martin Freimer, MD, is a psychiatrist and geriatrician at Huntsman Mental Health Institute (HMHI). He completed his residency in psychiatry at University of Iowa College of Medicine. Dr. Freimer is an Assistant Professor (Clinical) in the and is board certified in both Psychiatry and Geriatric Psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.
We asked Dr. Freimer a few questions about his clinical work, the Geriatric Psychiatry Clinic at HMHI, and about his passion for what he does.
Please introduce yourself!
Although I have treated young adult patients in the past and enjoyed it, my current practice is mainly focused on patients aged 65 and older. I occasionally see younger patients on a case-by-case basis on referral from the Cognitive Disorders Clinic in Neurology or the Aging Brain Center in Geriatric Medicine. I have adjunct appointments in both the Department of Neurology and the Division of Geriatric Medicine and consider collaboration with other specialties an important part of what I do.
My practice is currently with the Geriatric Psychiatry Clinic. I consider community outreach an important part of our mission; we are in the preliminary stages of discussing ways to provide consultative services in long term care settings. Geriatric Psychiatry is an underserved area. Training the next generation of practitioners is essential. I am looking forward to working with our and hoping to help provide them with a great learning experience. Not every resident will want to pursue subspecialty concentration in Geriatric Psychiatry but I am hopeful that exposure to the unique opportunities and challenges of working with our patient population will provide them with tools they will use in their psychiatric career moving forward.
"What I love most about my work is the opportunity to discover the humanity in aging patients, especially the cognitively impaired, and the privilege of playing a small role in helping them find their voice."
Martin Freimer, MD
Please tell us more about the Geriatric Psychiatry Clinic at HMHI.
We are a small but diverse group of providers and staff with different interests, training backgrounds and career goals. Currently our team consists of an MD (me), an APRN, LCSWs, a gerontologist, a medical assistant, care managers, a part-time neuropsychologist, a program manager, a Manager of Clinical Operations, and a Director of Business Operations. We share is a commitment to providing excellent, compassionate, psychiatric care to a vulnerable and underserved population, the elderly in our region.
This is a highly motivated group and a pleasure to work with. No one person has the expertise necessary to meet all the needs of our patients. We emphasize a collaborative team approach. This approach is necessary because of the complexity of the cases we work with in the clinic. The high point of the week for me is our Thursday meeting where we meet to discuss cases that reflect special clinical, ethical, or system issues. This presents an opportunity to learn from each other.
We also collaborate with medical providers in other specialties both at the University and in the community. One of the unique things about Geriatric Psychiatry is the emphasis on function. We collaborate with speech and occupational therapists and occasionally with physical therapists. I especially appreciate our care managers and medical assistant, who help coordinate these important relationships.
What do you love most about the work that you do?
I have discussed this with my colleagues around the country. Some say they appreciate the chance to deal with medical issues as part of their practice. Others cite the special collegiality and "just plain niceness" we find in our work with each other. I share these sentiments but for me personally it is the chance to deal with our patient population and to hear their stories. One of my inspirations is the writer William Carlos Williams, who was also a practicing physician. He wrote of participating in a relationship when "the inarticulate patient struggles to lay himself bare for you" as a great personal opportunity and a privilege. I think if he were alive today, that Williams might say that geriatric psychiatry provides the practitioner (when we are alert to the moment) with the opportunity to discover the humanity in aging patients, especially the cognitively impaired and the privilege of playing a small role in helping them find their voice.
What are you passionate about outside of work?
My Jewish faith with its ethical tradition, my family and listening to and playing music.