He served as a Commissioned Officer in the US Navy from 1978 to 1986, attaining the rank of Lieutenant Commander.

Dr. Howard has served in various leadership positions including: General Medical Officer and Department Head on the USS Samuel Gompers; Ship’s Surgeon, USS Nimitz; and, General Surgeon, National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, MD. During his military service, he was awarded a Navy Unit Commendation, Navy Expeditionary Medal and Navy Commendation Medal.

Prior to accepting a position as Attending Surgeon at Albany VAMC, Dr. Howard worked at both the Southside Regional Medical Center in Petersburg, VA and the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Keene, NH. He has been a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons since 1988 and is a Diplomate of both the American Board of Surgery and National Board of Medical Examiners.

During his career, Dr. Howard served in many leadership roles on many Medical Center Boards and Hospital Chairmanships. In addition to his appointment as Chief of Staff, Dr. Howard holds a faculty appointment in the Surgery Department at Albany Medical Center.