Spring 2010 Faculty Files

Christina Swift
Recruitment and Promotions Coordinator

Bill Freedman’s vocation is law but, luckily for the graduate program in Health Services Administration, his avocation is teaching.

“The interplay between teaching and practice is marvelous,” says Freedman, who has been an adjunct professor in Xavier’s program for 11 years. He teaches a class on the legal aspects of health care.

By day, Freedman is a partner in the Cincinnati law firm of Dinsmore & Shohl. As a practicing attorney, Freedman emphasizes real-world experience in the classroom—a big advantage for his students considering the dynamics in health care law today.

Freedman’s students, for example, devoted an entire class period last fall to analyzing the House and Senate versions of the health care reform bills. The students looked at how each bill provided funding, reviewed how various parties were affected and sorted through the comments from the many lobbyists who weighed in on the debate.

“After working through both bills, the students took time to look ahead, evaluate the effects of the bills and discuss different alternatives to those generated in Washington,” Freedman explains. Giving students the experience needed to think critically and evaluate current bills, laws and practices is important preparation for those who pursue careers in health care, Freedman adds. It also leads to Freedman’s favorite part of teaching—seeing firsthand how students apply what they’ve learned in class to their experiences in residency. Freedman also enjoys developing mentoring relationships with his students, who often continue to stay in touch with him after they graduate from Xavier.

Freedman, a Harvard Law School graduate, stumbled into the health care field after the IRS ruling that physicians could incorporate, a practice that allowed doctors to make larger contributions to retirement plans. As a result, Freedman began writing retirement plans for physicians, providing him with a long-term client base that stuck with him as he expanded his practice into employee benefits and eventually into the business side of health care.

When he’s not practicing or teaching law, Freedman serves as vice president and treasurer of the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati and is an active past president of Northern Hills Synagogue. He also is an active member of his undergraduate alumni association at Carleton College.

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