Dr. David Howlett earned his degrees, including his doctorate of medicine, from the University of Connecticut. Board certified in family medicine, he completed his internship at Albany Medical Center and residency at UConn Medical School.
He has served on the boards of Qualidigm, the Connecticut Institute for Primary Care Innovation, St. Francis HealthCare Partners, and the Connecticut Academy of Family Physicians — where he has been a member since 1996 and served as president in 1999 — as well as the Southern New England HealthCare System, where he has served since 2021.
Howlett has taught medical students for the University of Connecticut and Quinnipiac Schools of Medicine.
What have been your significant contributions to your organization this past year?
For the Southern New England HealthCare System, I facilitated the integration of the tenets of population health and reinforced the concepts of our Patient Centered Medical Home certification with East Granby Family Practice’s 12 medical providers.
I optimized our electronic medical record to capture and report the care we give to the healthcare system. As a result, our practice is rated as a top high performer in the SoNE accountable care organization system.
Tell us about a challenge in your job you were able to overcome.
The challenge is having enough time to address all of a patient’s concerns at the office visit, while managing their medical problems and ensuring all preventive measures are addressed.
Through the implementation of electronic medical records and certification as a Level 3 Patient Centered Medical Home, I learned a team approach, preparation for patient visits, standing orders and electronic medical record optimization with voice dictation and macros helped overcome the challenge.
What’s your next major goal?
My goal is to showcase how independent medical practice can thrive by doing what’s best for the patient with the help of technology and streamlined office procedures.
As an independent practice, we demonstrated we can be successful seeing 10 to 12 patients daily, not 25 to 30, to survive.
How are you involved in the community?
I have been a coach for youth soccer and baseball, a Cub Scout and Boy Scout leader and a member of the choir and director of the youth choir at my church.
Fun Fact
I paraglided off the summit of Rendezvous Mountain (10,450 feet) of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, in 2022.