Michael A. Howard, MD

Michael A. Howard, MD

4.9 
809 ratings  Read Reviews
Northwestern Medicine logoNorthwestern Medical Group

Primary Specialty

Plastic Surgery

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HealthBeat

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Breast Reconstruction After Mastectomy

Learn about the types of breast reconstruction surgery and its impact on mental health and self-esteem after mastectomy.

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Practice Focus Areas

  • Body Contouring
  • Brachial Plexus Reconstruction
  • Breast Aesthetic/Body
  • Breast Cancer Reconstruction
  • Reconstructive Microvascular Surgery
  • Reconstructive Surgery
  • Targeted Muscle Reinnervation

Education

Medical Education:
MD, Emory University School of Medicine - 1997
Residency:
MedStar Health/Georgetown University - 2003
Fellowships:
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center - 2004

Media

Meet The Doctor 1:57
Meet The Doctor
October 21, 2020

Board Certifications

  • American Board of Plastic Surgery - Plastic Surgery (Certified)

Faculty Profile

Health System Clinician, Feinberg School of Medicine

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Practice Groups and Affiliations

Medical Group:
Northwestern Medical Group
Alignment Category:
Northwestern Medicine Physician Network
On Medical Staff At:
Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital
Northwestern Memorial Hospital

Ratings and Reviews

At Northwestern Medicine, our patient’s feedback is important to us. While different care providers have their own unique strengths, we strive to be as transparent as possible with our quality of care.

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Overall Rating

4.9
4.9 

809 Ratings

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Reviews from Patients

100 Most Recent Reviews

Reviews from Patients

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100 Most Recent Reviews

March 22, 2022

5.0

Dr. Howard was very informative and has a nice personality.

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March 22, 2022

5.0

He’s is top notch

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March 22, 2022

5.0

Dr. Howard empathically listens to my concerns, provides all the options in order to make the best decisions. I'm so lucky to have him as part of my team.

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March 21, 2022

5.0

Dr. Howard is fabulous to work with. He explains things very well, goes through all the options and listens to concerns.

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March 18, 2022

5.0

I cannot say enough about Dr. Howard. I left HMO to go to PPO just to follow him to Northwestern and have the chance for him to do my DIEP. He knows what he’s doing and is really good at individualizing the procedure based on medical history, etc. He’s attentive and sees his patients as human beings with emotions and he takes the time and attention to listen to my fears and concerns. I trust his expertise and experience and know that he wants me to be pleased with the results and feel good about myself. And his work speaks for itself and every time (I’ve had 3 surgeries with him) I have felt really good about the results!

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March 16, 2022

5.0

I have complete trust in Dr. Howard and his team. He is thorough in his work. And reassures my concerns.

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March 15, 2022

5.0

He takes the time to listen to and answer questions with logical explanations. He is compassionate and very knowledgeable about breast reconstruction.

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March 12, 2022

5.0

What a nice man! Listened without hurrying me. He’s the kind of doctor a person would like as a friend.

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March 11, 2022

5.0

Highly recommended to me and so far I’m pleased

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March 11, 2022

5.0

He is very kind and patient

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March 08, 2022

5.0

Very knowledgeable! Listens to his patience.

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March 08, 2022

5.0

Very thorough and caring. Assesses the situation and addresses concerns. Wonderful communicator.

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March 08, 2022

5.0

Listened, answered all questions. I did not feel rushed. Was friendly. Was confident he was knowledgeable and experienced. Felt like he would be good to work with.

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March 03, 2022

5.0

Dr. Howard has excellent and professional care for his patients. He explains everything in a way that is easy to understand and follow

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February 21, 2022

5.0

Dr. Howard was easy to communicate with

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February 21, 2022

5.0

He is knowledgeable, professional, has a sense of humor, and listens to the patient to be certain all questions are answered and the plan for action is agreeable.

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February 17, 2022

5.0

My son was very nervous and Dr Howard immediately put him at ease with a joke. Very friendly and informative

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February 08, 2022

5.0

Dr.Howard is fantastic!!! He is one of the kindest most skilled doctors I have ever been to. His team is caring and wonderful as well.

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February 08, 2022

5.0

Very nice & knowledgeable & honest

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February 06, 2022

5.0

Por la atención y muy buenos resultados

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January 29, 2022

5.0

Dr. Howard makes you feel comfortable the moment you meet him. He answered all my questions and I never felt rushed. He came highly recommended by several people and I couldn’t be happier.

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January 28, 2022

4.0

Disappointed in his answers

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January 25, 2022

5.0

Amazingly talented

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January 25, 2022

5.0

Spent time answering all my questions and I didn’t feel rushed

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January 22, 2022

5.0

He is very talented and skilled in his profession. Also kind and caring, listening then addressing any concerns I had. Always treated me with dignity and respect.

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January 21, 2022

5.0

Dr Howard communicates extremely well with his patients and presents options based on his experience and talent that are not available elsewhere

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January 16, 2022

5.0

I liked Dr. Howard's bedside manner and how he explained everything. He was very approachable as a doctor to his patient.

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January 15, 2022

5.0

He has both skills and bedside manner beyond compare!

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January 14, 2022

5.0

Dr Howard is a talented surgeon and does amazing work. I had DIEP breast reconstruction from being flat for 14 months due to breast cancer. He made me whole again!

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January 12, 2022

5.0

Exceptional

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January 12, 2022

5.0

He explains what is being done & why. Very professional & yet, makes a personal connection.

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January 09, 2022

5.0

Dr. Howard was highly recommended to me by my dermatologist.

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January 05, 2022

5.0

I've already recommended him to many women! He is great at what he does and makes me feel at ease with drastic changes to my body.

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January 04, 2022

5.0

He is the best!! I won’t go anywhere else!

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January 04, 2022

5.0

Dr. Howard is very knowledgeable and personable. Knows how to explain procedure..

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January 04, 2022

5.0

Bedside manner and patience

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December 24, 2021

5.0

I have had several of my friends in need of plastic surgery on their face for injuries or growths that have been removed. They have all told me that there surgeons we're very stuffy and acted as if they were above everyone. Some looked perturbed when they asked questions and weren't really forthcoming about what they should be expecting during the time they were recovering. Dr. Howard is warm in his greeting, he takes a good look not only at the site in question, but what's in the general area surrounding it. He asked, who my skin doctor was & why she sent me here. It was just a really pleasant experience for a potentially scary surgery and based on what my friends had experienced I was expecting someone totally different.

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December 21, 2021

5.0

Professional, sensible, and skilled. He takes time to understand the patient's situation and the necessary procedures to accomplish a good end result.

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December 20, 2021

5.0

He’s an excellent surgeon.

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December 18, 2021

5.0

Expertise, skilled, compassionate, caring, patient centered

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December 13, 2021

5.0

Approachable and attentive

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December 04, 2021

5.0

Friendly and personable. Good bedside manners.

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December 03, 2021

5.0

His expertise is phenomenal. I’m so happy with the results of my DIEP flap surgery. He answered all of my questions and made sure I understood everything, every step of the way.

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December 03, 2021

5.0

Very friendly did procedure well, PA also helpful

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November 30, 2021

5.0

Dr Howard is an amazing doctor always makes me feel calm and makes my appointments enjoyable. He answers all my questions and is always available when I need him.

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November 25, 2021

5.0

Patient, great bedside manner, expertise in his field…

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November 23, 2021

5.0

The results of my procedure turned out very good- I like Dr Howard’s professionalism & his staff is great especially Carrie

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November 19, 2021

5.0

He is kind, a good listener and communicator, and a talented surgeon.

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November 19, 2021

5.0

Besides being Positive and caring he knows his stuff really well. He’s a great leader of a great team.

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November 18, 2021

5.0

Great at putting me at ease and answering my questions.

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November 17, 2021

5.0

Excellent discussion on care requested. Professional, Compassionate and Respectful.

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November 17, 2021

5.0

Friendly and informative

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November 12, 2021

5.0

Perfectionist at his craft—but also a sweet and caring person.

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November 09, 2021

5.0

Dr Howard is an amazing doctor

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November 01, 2021

5.0

Skilled surgeon, sets clear expectations, caring and kind, patient centered

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October 31, 2021

5.0

Dr. Howard is a very nice and caring Dr. I was very comfortable with him, and he listened to what my expectations/wants were, and then explained to me what he thought could be done. Very informative and helpful.

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October 30, 2021

5.0

Pleasant and informative. Made me feel safe about trusting my health to his care.

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October 26, 2021

5.0

I really can't say because I have not had the procedure yet. He seems like a very good Doctor so far with an exceptional staff

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October 26, 2021

5.0

Friendly compassionate caring. He is a tremendous doctor.

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October 26, 2021

5.0

Exceptional physician with an awesome bedside manner. Instills confidence and comfort

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October 25, 2021

5.0

He has nice patient manner, is on time, and does a great job with stitching and leaving no scars.

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October 22, 2021

5.0

Confident, knowledgeable doctor.

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October 21, 2021

5.0

Made me feel very comfortable with my procedure, was very professional.

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October 15, 2021

5.0

Best in all areas

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October 15, 2021

5.0

Intelligent and positive about outcomes

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October 15, 2021

5.0

He’s positive thinker

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October 14, 2021

5.0

Dr Howard is knowledgeable, compassionate, an excellent communicator and you can tell just all around awesome person. Plus he did an amazing job stitching up my daughters face with such ease and expertise.

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October 10, 2021

5.0

First of all Dr Howard has heart and a genuine care for his patients.Secondly he s so confident that I was put at ease right away when I first met him.I m one very lucky person when my oncologist surgeon sought her iPhone to give me Dr Howard s phone number.She performed the bilateral and she wanted me to see Dr Howard.Nevermind that my oncologist wanted me to see an LGH surgeon to take care of reconstruction after the bilateral!

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October 08, 2021

5.0

He’s great

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October 07, 2021

5.0

Dr. Howard was on time!! He was friendly and kind, yet very professional. He was concerned about what he could do to make me feel comfortable during the procedure. I felt confident I was getting a high level of care.

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October 07, 2021

5.0

Everything was very good!

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October 05, 2021

5.0

Approachable and knowledgeable

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October 05, 2021

5.0

He listens to his patients, he makes it a point to understand what your outcome would like to be.

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October 02, 2021

5.0

He did exactly what I asked for and was extremely informative about what to expect and my care.

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October 02, 2021

5.0

Dr. Howard is extremely kind, caring, and a superb surgeon.

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October 01, 2021

5.0

He is very attentive. Takes time to answer any questions I have. And very good bedside manners.

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October 01, 2021

5.0

He was very kind and took his time with me. I was very scared and he was very understanding.

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September 28, 2021

5.0

Great doctor

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September 28, 2021

5.0

Excellent in every way

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September 27, 2021

5.0

The man is a magician

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September 27, 2021

5.0

Very professional and informative and friendly staff

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September 24, 2021

5.0

Prompt, knowledgeable and manners

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September 24, 2021

5.0

Very professional. I felt valued and respected. Highly recommend.

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September 21, 2021

5.0

Dr. Howard has helped me considerably where others have failed to do so. I feel that I am now in my healthiest state and ready for surgery.

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September 17, 2021

5.0

Dr. Howard is an extremely knowledgeable and considerate physician. He answered all my questions and made me feel comfortable in all my procedures and recovery.

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September 17, 2021

5.0

Dr. Howard is a very skilled surgeon with an excellent bedside manner.

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September 12, 2021

5.0

Knowledge and caring

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September 12, 2021

5.0

Dr. Howard treats you as if you're his only patient. He doesn't rush and explains everything.

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September 10, 2021

5.0

He is the absolute best

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September 07, 2021

5.0

The reason is Dr Howard ,the fabulous Hosp.

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September 07, 2021

5.0

Friendly, knowledgeable staff

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September 06, 2021

5.0

Great surgeon and the bed side manner

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September 06, 2021

5.0

He is patient focused and takes pride in his work!

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September 03, 2021

5.0

Dr. Howard has a great personality. Professional and personable. He made an uncomfortable situation very comfortable. He explained procedures and expectations clearly. Cost estimates are fair and reasonable.

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September 01, 2021

5.0

He is professional, personable, and a good listener.

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August 31, 2021

5.0

I want to live to see my children grow up. To see my children have children. I feel that will happen.

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August 31, 2021

5.0

Very thorough, listened, diagnosed and his surgical skills are second to none.

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August 31, 2021

5.0

Dr Howard & the staff are wonderful

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August 28, 2021

5.0

Dr Howard is the best! He is very professional. He also made my nerves about my procedure go away by talking me through the process.

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August 27, 2021

5.0

He has a great personality & I trust his work from a friend recommendation

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Disclosures

Industry Relationships

Ownership or Investment Interests

Faculty member had an ownership or investment interest in the following companies

  • EO2 Concepts

External Professional Relationships

Pharmaceutical, device, and biotechnology companies frequently collaborate with basic scientists and physicians within an academic medical center to help advance science and improve patient care. These relationships are important in achieving scientific breakthroughs and in establishing the effectiveness and safety of promising new therapies. In order to assure objectivity in clinical research and patient care, the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine (Feinberg), Northwestern Memorial HealthCare, Children's Hospital of Chicago Medical Center, and the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab have adopted integrity policies that require research and clinical faculty (in full-time, part-time, and unpaid/voluntary categories) to report compensated and uncompensated external industry relationships. Patients are encouraged to discuss these disclosures with their physician as well as to inquire as to how these relationships are overseen by Feinberg. To learn more about our Disclosure and Professional Integrity Policy, and the conflict of interest policies of our joint affiliate survey partners, please go to our Office for Regulatory Affairs Policies page.

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