Not long after taking the helm at Parexel, an international clinical research organization based in North Carolina, Master of Health Administration alum Peyton Howell took some time to reflect on her academic roots, her ongoing Ohio State connections and advice for today’s students.
A passion for health and equity
Howell was named chief executive officer last May, a crowning moment in a career she started in a candy striper’s uniform at a suburban Chicago hospital.
“The opportunity to make an impact on patient access to care is the theme of my life’s work. It’s all I ever wanted to do,” said Howell, who was 14 when she began her hospital volunteer work before launching her studies at the University of Illinois.
Parexel manages clinical trials ranging from the first small-scale explorations of a treatment’s viability to large-scale endeavors that serve as the final step to widespread use. Its more than 21,000 employees conduct studies on behalf of pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies everywhere from Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center to Israel to rural China. The company’s work, including at more than 100 Ohio sites, spans medicine, investigating new treatments for cancer, infectious disease, heart disease, immunology, ophthalmology, genetic conditions and more.
Howell, who has been with the company since 2018, exudes enthusiasm when she talks about Parexel’s focus on expanding clinical trial access to ensure a wide variety of populations are represented. Exploring how emerging approaches to care differ among people throughout the world and from a variety of backgrounds is critical to advancing health for all, she said.
Finding her way
As an undergraduate studying health communications at the University of Illinois, Howell attended a grad school fair and saw a brochure for Ohio State’s MHA program, then part of the College of Medicine.
‘This is everything I love,” she thought to herself, and quickly set up interviews for MHA programs, including at Ohio State, the University of Michigan and Xavier University.
Steven Loebs, the head of Ohio State’s program at the time, brought an enthusiasm and energy for health care that drew her in. And as a newly married student with tight finances, she was wowed by the support offered by leadership at the medical center, who hustled to provide her with the first graduate associate appointment the program offered, support that covered her tuition and a monthly stipend.
“I really felt a sense of caring, and of family and connection at Ohio State,” Howell said.
Her memories of those MHA years are deeply rooted in the relationships that began on Ohio State’s campus — the “friends for life” she made as a Buckeye, Howell said. She also remembers fondly the immersive experience her connections to experts at the medical center afforded.
“I was studying concepts and applying them right at work the same day,” she said.
Among the highlights: during her summer residency, Howell helped a cardiothoracic surgeon advance his now-patented lifesaving idea for a left ventricular assist device, or LVAD, a mechanical pump implanted in the chest. She was particularly proud of working to ensure it would be viable for all patients, including those without private insurance, Howell said.
Today, Howell finds inspiration in patients who will benefit from new treatments her company is testing, such as those helped by recent work on a pediatric brain cancer medication. Her team had to move at an unprecedented pace, knowing that every delay would impact young patients.
“Now that I’m CEO I really love being the person who can own the culture, motivating our employees and inspiring them even when it seems like we’re being asked to do something that’s impossible,” she said.
Enduring connections
Howell’s initial sense of connection and support at Ohio State has proven to be a bedrock of her career and personal life.
“People think of Ohio State as this massive place, but I think of it as my graduate program of 25 students and professors I still know who are on my Christmas card list. It’s a pretty special place,” Howell said.
“I literally feel like I could reach out to any alumni (of the MHA program) at any time — and we do!”
The two women she leaned on for advice when deciding to join Parexel and then to pursue the CEO position? Gail Marsh ’83 BA ’90 MHA, Ohio State’s former senior vice president and chief strategy officer, and Elizabeth Seely ’90 MHA, chief administrative officer of the Wexner Medical Center’s Hospital Division.
The mentor who inspired her daughter Reid’s name? R. Reed Fraley ’75 MHA, who was chief executive officer of the medical center during Howell’s MHA years.
“My whole life and career, they continue to be inspirations,” she said.
Howell has also honored her mentors and supported the MHA program by helping create the College of Public Health’s only endowed professorship, named in honor of Stephen Loebs, and a fund to support MHA scholarships — a group effort by the Class of 1990.
The program, she said, provided her with an enduring feeling of “loyalty and being a Buckeye for life. It’s one of the reasons I’m always loyal in giving back to Ohio State.”
Advice for today’s students
The next generation of health care and public health leaders will be well served to embrace and nurture the connections they’re making today, Howell said.
“Absolutely maximize the relationships you have on campus — maximize every opportunity you have to engage with alumni and during internships. Go to the dinners. Be there first and leave last.”
Howell also wants today’s MHA students to consider opportunities outside of hospitals as they enter the field.
“In so many industries, the broader public health view is rarely there,” she said, adding that an MHA from Ohio State grounds students in core components of public health — including wellness, equity and inclusion.
“I’m excited that the MHA is part of the College of Public Health, particularly now. We can and need to be the ones who really stand up for science.”
