Leah McCormick Howard, J.D.

Leah M. Howard, J.D., is the President and CEO of the National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF). She is a lawyer and patient rights advocate leading the largest psoriatic disease support and research nonprofit organization in the world. NPF represents more than 8 million individuals in the U.S. who live with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis with the shared vision of creating a world free from the burdens of psoriatic disease.

Howard has lived with psoriasis for 21 years and has more than two decades of experience working with national health and disability organizations, local governments, and leading health care and research institutions. She believes that solving today’s health care challenges begins with talking individuals living with chronic diseases, like psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Over the last decade, Howard has empowered people with psoriatic disease to share their challenges with policymakers at the state and federal level, as well as with regulators, and health agency management. This led to a number of improvements for the community including more than 40 new state laws improving access to treatment.

Howard has positioned NPF as a leading voice in efforts to measure value and reflect patient preferences in health outcomes. She has also piloted efforts to engage non-traditional patient advocacy partners including health insurers, pharmacy benefit managers, and employers – beginning with the launch of the NPF Payer Roundtable series in 2016. Under Howard’s leadership, NPF has prioritized serving all segments of the community. Today, NPF connects with over 2.75 million individuals each year through its highly accessible website.

Howard has a bachelor of arts degree in government and international relations from the University of Notre Dame and a law degree from George Mason University School of Law. Howard is based at NPF headquarters in Alexandria, VA.