Business profile: pediatrician Lester A. Freeman, M.D.

Lester A. Freeman, M.D., board-certified pediatrician and graduate of Rutgers (UMDNJ) Medical School, is the owner and CEO of Teens, Little Ones & Children (TLC) Pediatrics, LLC in southwest Atlanta, Georgia. He has been the owner of TLC Pediatrics since 2009, but has been with the practice since 2000. As a pediatrician, Dr. Freeman cares for children from the moment they are born through age 21. On a typical day, he sees sick patients, performs well-child exams, and sports physicals. In addition, he spends a great deal of time educating his staff, nurse practitioner and especially, his patients and their families about their particular diagnoses, focusing mainly on prevention, not just treatment.

Dr. Freeman has desired to be a pediatrician since the age of 5. He credits his parents, especially his father, for encouraging the idea. One year during the Christmas season, Dr. Freeman’s father asked him a question he had never been asked before, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” He looked away confused until his father pulled him close and whispered in his ear, “doctor or lawyer?” Dr. Freeman yelled, “DOCTOR!” His father cheered, and then asked, “What kind of doctor?” Reflexively, he answered, “A baby doctor; one that takes care of kids!” Every year, his father would ask him that same question until it stuck.

Dr. Freeman was born and raised in New York City, in an area known as Spanish Harlem. Living there was very stressful because the Civil Rights era was coming to an end and law enforcement agencies were neutralizing young militant groups, while a large arrival of drugs saturated their communities. As a consequence, Dr. Freeman’s parents kept him and his siblings close and only allowed them to interact with very few families in their neighborhood. His parents taught them to rely on one another, to fight only when threatened (which was often) and to mind their own business. Another major lesson was the importance of education as his parents worked multiple jobs to afford the tuition for a Catholic school in their district. At the end of his fourth grade year, his parents moved the family to suburban Queens. “I always gave proper credit to my parents for this. I am convinced that this relocation saved us,” said Dr. Freeman.

Dr. Freeman’s motivation stems from his fundamental love for both children and pediatric medicine. His goals include educating his patients and their families about pediatric health and to inspire as well as encourage as many children and adolescents he possibly can to become interested in math and science; with the hope to interest them in a career in medicine. “I was very blessed in the sense that I had a very happy childhood. However, I know this is not the case for many children. When a child comes to my office, one of my goals is to make the experience as relaxing and fun as a doctor’s office can be, especially if vaccines are to be administered. So, even when sick, I want my patients to be confident and hopeful when they enter and exit my office.”

A talented artist since the age of 6, Dr. Freeman’s latest passion has been his artwork. Even though he has been drawing since a very young age, he never took it seriously to invest a great deal of time in it until about 6 years ago. Now, it has become his new calling. Dr. Freeman is also very passionate about his family, friends, and of course, children (not his birth children, but the many hundreds, if not thousands of kids that he has interacted with throughout his life and career). “I maintain the inner child in me every single time I interact with these ‘little people’. I’ve always been an advocate of children even before medicine and will advocate for them long after my career ends.”

Atlanta Free Speech salutes Dr. Lester A. Freeman.

Make sure you look out for Dr. Freeman’s upcoming artistic website.

To learn more about Teen’s Little Ones and Children Pediatrics, click here.

Connect with Dr. Freeman: Facebook TLC Facebook