Douglas Howell, Race Director
Click here to watch interview from 2022's 4Star 4Mile race day.
Doug Howell was born in upstate New York. After graduating from high school in 1964, he joined the military service and was assigned to the United States Marine Corps Special Landing Force (Amphibious Ready Group) as a Fleet Marine Force Corpsman. Doug fought in Vietnam 1966-1967. He was awarded the Purple Heart, combat action ribbon, Presidential Unit citation (twice), The Navy Unit Commendation (twice) and Vietnam Presidential Unit Commendation.
Doug began his Physician Assistant (PA) career after graduating from The Johns Hopkins University in 1977 and worked as a practicing PA until 2012. Doug’s clinical career spans several disciplines, including OB/Gyn, Urgent Care, Family Practice, Nephrology, Prison Medicine, Sports Medicine and Occupational Medicine. His career took him from Maryland to New York, and in 1993, to Michigan, where he became the manager of the health clinics for both the Detroit Free Press and Detroit News. In 1996 he began working for Concentra Occupational Medicine clinics. While there, he became a preceptor, and for 15 years, taught Wayne State University students how to examine and treat patients and was a frequent guest lecturer at the university.
Doug joined the faculty at the WSU PA program in 2014 and retired in May 2022. In 2022, Wayne State University PA program created a scholarship in his name. Doug enjoys sharing stories and has been a storyteller at the Secret Society of Twisted Story Tellers on 4 different occasions. Doug also enjoys running and has been an avid long-distance runner (12 marathons). As part of Detroit’s Downtown Runners and Walkers, he became a frequent race volunteer.
In 2017, he combined this passion with his support of veterans by establishing the 4Star 4Mile Race in conjunction with the annual Veterans Day celebration in Detroit. The race supports the Metropolitan Detroit Veterans Coalition and connects civilians with veterans/active military in a common goal of community service.
Doug returned to Vietnam 5 times, starting in 2008, when he was invited to join a small group of his fellow marines to look for a very remote mountain battle site on the border of Laos. He authored a book on living with PTSD and how the return trips to Vietnam affected him; and the transition from post war years: The Night is Dark and I am Far From Home.
Doug has two grown sons, 4 grandchildren, a dog, is married and lives in St. Clair Shores.
