Dr. Lori Kathryn Howell is an assistant professor of plastic and reconstructive surgery and pediatric plastic surgery at OHSU and a member of the cleft and craniofacial team at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital. She received an undergraduate degree in finance from the University of Texas Austin and a medical degree with honors from the University of Texas Health Science Center Houston. Dr. Howell completed a residency in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at the University of Illinois Chicago followed by a second residency in plastic and reconstructive surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Fellowships were completed in craniofacial surgery at Stanford University in 2013 and, most recently, in craniofacial and pediatric plastic surgery at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles in 2014.

Dr. Howell’s areas of interest include cleft lip and palate surgery, facial paralysis and reanimation, pediatric microvascular surgery, vascular anomalies, congenital nevi and adult craniofacial and lower extremity reconstructive surgery. Having spent the first five years of her career from 2014 to 2019 at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles building a robust facial reanimation and pediatric microsurgery program, she is excited about continuing those efforts at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital.

With board certification in both Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Dr. Howell is a strong believer in the power of a multidisciplinary approach to patient care. In addition to her passion for medical student and resident education, her research interests also include access to care in underserved communities and facial paralysis outcomes. Dr. Howell is committed to helping children live full and rewarding lives who have been afflicted by congenital or traumatic deformities and is excited to join the OHSU staff and faculty serving the community in Portland and the Pacific Northwest.