About Michael Howard, MD
Michael A. Howard, MD, is a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon, practicing at Northwestern Medicine and serving the Chicago area since 2005.
Following undergraduate study at Illinois Wesleyan University, Dr. Howard received his medical degree from Emory University School of Medicine and completed his plastic surgery residency at Georgetown University. During these post-graduate studies, he had the opportunity to train with renowned pioneers in breast reconstruction, Dr. John Bostwick and Dr. Scott Spear. He then pursued further specialized training, completing the Breast Reconstruction & Microsurgery Fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
Today, Dr. Howard’s practice focuses on reconstructive and aesthetic breast surgery. For women who require breast reconstruction, he offers the full spectrum of surgical options, including state-of-the-art perforator flaps, pre-pectoral implant reconstruction, partial breast reconstruction with oncoplastic surgery techniques, and implant-based reconstruction methods.
Dr. Howard’s innovative techniques and experience with reconstruction following nipple-sparing mastectomy led to an invitation to co-lead a recurring instructional course for plastic surgeons on this topic at the American Society of Plastic Surgeons annual meeting. Based on his clinical practice reputation, Dr. Howard was voted by his peer plastic surgeons to Castle Connolly Top Doctors.
In addition to his clinical practice, Dr. Howard devotes significant time to education and clinical research.
His work has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals and he has presented his research internationally and nationally. His devotion to teaching was recognized by his residents as he received the Martin Sullivan Faculty teaching award at Northwestern and the Resident Teacher of the Year award while at Georgetown. His clinical and academic accomplishments also led to his induction to the AOA Medical Honor Society and election to the American Association of Plastic Surgeons (AAPS), an honor given to only approximately 10% of plastic surgeons in the US.
Insurance Coverage
Aside from breast reconstruction surgery, and occasionally breast reduction surgery, most breast and body surgery is classified as elective surgery and these procedures are not covered by health insurance plans. The surgical costs associated with elective surgery can be determined during the consultation visit.
Outside of his medical practice, in keeping with his family’s own experience with breast cancer and the BRCA gene, Dr. Howard serves on the Medical Expert Panel at Bright Pink, an organization focused on young women at high risk for breast and ovarian cancer.
In his personal life, Dr. Howard enjoys dinner out with his wife, Melissa, running, and skiing. He also freely admits his addiction to racing triathlons!