Lee Milton Howard Collection

Biography

Lee Milton Howard was born in Midnapore, Bengal, India in 1922. He was raised in India, where his parents, Reverend John Anderson Howard and Mary Grace Lemen, were Baptist missionaries. He attended Woodstock School (Mussoorie, Uttarakhand, India), where he graduated in 1940. He then attended Baylor University from 1941-43, where he received a bachelor’s degree. He received his medical degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 1947. His internship and residency were at the Church Home and Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. His medical career began with six years of clinical tropical medicine in south India including directorship of the Victoria Memorial Hospital in northern Andhra State. From 1957, he studied international health and medical entomology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health where he received his masters and doctorate in public health in 1958 and 1960.

The bulk of his career was spent at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). In 1960, he was assigned to the Philippines as epidemiologist to the National Malaria program. In 1962, he became regional malariologist for USAID Far East programs in Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand. When reassigned in 1964 to the Washington Headquarters of USAID, he helped plan and organize sectoral healh services. From 1967 to 1980 he served as Director of Health Services. Until 1979, he was a member of the U.S. delegation to the World Health Assembly where he negotiated US policies on behalf of USAID. Upon retirement from USAID in 1986, Howard was awarded the Agency’s highest honor: The Administrator’s Distinguished Career Service Award. With continued interest in identifying and mobilizing concessional financing for the poorest countries, Howard continued consultancies with USAID , WHO, PAHO, World Bank and ORBIS.

Scope and Content

The Lee Milton Howard Collection spans his entire career. Series include biographical material, records of education and training, records from Howard’s career at USAID, consulting records, publications, photographs and awards. It documents Howard’s work on USAID sponsored activities in cooperation and agreement with host governments, particularly related to the global campaign against malaria in the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand. Another major focus of his work was evaluating the sustainability of primary health systems models in developing countries. Consulting records document Howard’s work with WHO, World Bank, PAHO, and Project ORBIS.

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