By Lois Thomson, South Florida Hospital News, for ACHE of South Florida

As someone who previously worked in Fort Myers for several years, Aaron Howell admitted, “I never saw myself living in the ‘real’ South Florida.” However, that changed when he accepted a position last year with the Cleveland Clinic of Florida, where he works as senior director of cancer for the Florida market.

He explained his responsibilities: “Any radiation oncology, medical oncology, palliative care services rendered or staffed within the state of Florida are under my purview in conjunction with my dad, Dr. Zeina Nahleh, vice chief of cancer for Florida, and one of the best breast oncologists in the country.”

Howell was previously with the global GenesisCare team, but said with the Cleveland Clinic being one of the best-known healthcare brands, he appreciated the chance to join. “I saw an opportunity and I wanted to see if I could come over here and make a difference.” He believes he has done so, saying, “Because all of our facilities, outside of Weston, in Martin and St. Lucie and Indian River Counties, are new to the organization, there has been a lot of alignment, integration, program-building, and growth over the past year.”

Howell acknowledged that when he began his career, he wasn’t sure where it was going to lead or which path he would take. But as he continued to get more exposure to the operational side, he said that started to mold him into who he eventually wanted to be. “Once I finally came to a decision of where I wanted to go, I went to graduate school to get an MBA in healthcare management, and started to work to find the role that would help me achieve my goals of ensuring I could meet the needs of patients no matter the service line or geography.”

He said the best part of his work is being able to see the impact on patients. “You always want to work somewhere where you would send your family or friends, or yourself if needed, and we have excellent physicians and caregivers who really go above and beyond for our patients. Knowing that, I’d have no hesitation sending myself, my mother, or my child to any of our providers, and that really makes me proud.”

While moving to South Florida brought Howell to the Cleveland Clinic, he found another benefit in that it enabled him to become more involved with the local chapter of ACHE, the American College of Healthcare Executives. He said when he decided on a career path, someone recommended that he check out ACHE; he joined in 2019 while in Fort Myers, but said he wasn’t able to get too involved with the group because many of the events were in the Tampa area, which was too far to travel on a regular basis.

However, now in South Florida, he said all events are a reasonable drive, so he has more chances to participate. “Since I’ve moved, I’ve really refocused on trying to be part of the group, and I certainly want to continue to grow and do more to help out the local chapter.” He is also looking forward to working toward his fellowship.

In addition, Howell said some of the things he has learned through the ACHE events – whether virtual or in person – have been invaluable. “I don’t know where I would have learned some of that otherwise. Also, the people I’ve met are excellent; I’ve really enjoyed them on a personal and professional level. And in a few instances, I’ve been able to help someone else’s patients or have helped one of our patients. So, it’s paid off from that perspective, too.”