Ann Friedmann

An obstetrician and gynecologist (OB/GYN) holding a broad range of professional skills, Ann Friedmann, M.D., built her career on a number of training and educational accomplishments. Serving as a physician in traditional and military medical centers, Dr. Ann Friedmann participated in a variety of aspects of women's health services, including prenatal instruction, pregnancy and lactation education, and baby-friendly medical center initiative committees. Earning certification in 1999 as an American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology Diplomate, Ann Friedmann, M.D., worked as an OB/GYN in Minnesota. Dr. Friedmann has also served at military base hospitals in Georgia, California, and overseas in Tuzla, Bosnia.

Graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the St. Paul, Minnesota-based St. Catherine University in 1980, Ann Friedmann, M.D., completed a pre-medical program at the University of Minnesota in 1989. Continuing advanced studies, Dr. Friedmann earned a Doctor of Medicine from the University of Minnesota Medical School in 1993. During medical school, she enrolled in a series of honors classes, including human genetics and laboratory medicine. She participated in externships focusing on clinical hematology, perinatology, and family medicine.

In 1993, Ann Friedmann, M.D., began an internship and OB/GYN residency in Fort Lewis, Washington, at the Madigan Army Medical Center. She was named Chief Resident in 1996. An OB/GYN department leader with the United States Army Medical Service Corps until 2001, Ann Friedmann, M.D., was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal in 1999, the Department of Family Medicine Coin of Excellence in 2000, and two Army Commendation Medals. In addition, she wrote a chapter on gynecology that appeared in a 2001 joint service guide distributed to medical staff in the United States Air Force, United States Army Special Forces, and United States Navy SEALs.

Mayo Health Systems, Staff OBGYN (2001 - 2010)

Ann Friedmann, OB/GYN, Family Medicine, gynecology, women's health services, lactation education, prenatal instruction, American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Meritorious Service Medal

The Army Commendation Medal, by Ann Friedmann, MD
A retired Major with the United States Army Medical Corps, Ann Friedmann, MD, performed her internship and residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Madigan Army Medical Center. Throughout her Army career, Dr. Friedmann functioned as an obstetrician/gynecologist. Army posts included Fort Irwin, Fort Gordon, and a deployment in Bosnia. Her first ARCOM was awarded for facilitating the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative at Weed Army Community Hospital in Fort Irwin, California. The second was awarded during her deployment at Eagle Base in Tuzla, Bosnia.

Originally created in the early 1940s, the Army Commendation Medal honors members of the armed forces who are not general officers and who display sustained heroism, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service, particularly when in direct contact with the enemy. Considered a mid-level honor, the Army Commendation Medal features less intensive requirements than other military awards, such as the Bronze Star Medal. Moreover, showing sustained valor in non-combat situations can also lead to the receipt of this honor if the serviceperson's feats do not rise to the level of a Soldier's Medal. Junior officers acquire this award from local commanders who possess latitude in deciding who deserves it and whether a Valor device should be attached. Since its development, all branches of the military have developed their own version of the Army Commendation Medal, and the Department of Defense issues its own Joint Service Commendation Medal for participation on a joint military staff.