Christopher Howell, who was demoted from his post as director of the Physician Assistant (PA) program in December, was the target of complaints from three female staff who said he “makes us feel unsafe and uncomfortable,” according to the Office of Equity and Equal Opportunity (OEEO) Incident Reporting Form.
College of Arts and Science (CAS) Dean Renée Baernstein declined to comment on the decision to demote Howell, citing university policy on the privacy of personnel matters.
But documents requested by The Miami Student show one faculty-reported incident of harassment, and two student-reported incidents of harassment based on religion or gender, and later disability.
Baernstein, with the concurrence of Interim Provost Chris Makaroff, demoted Howell from his position on Dec. 12, 2025. Baernstein did not give a specific reason. The demotion letter also did not specify the reason for Howell’s reassignment back to faculty.
In her letter to Howell, Baernstein wrote the demotion was not a disciplinary action.
“It is my determination, with the concurrence of the interim provost, that the PA program will benefit from a change in leadership,” wrote Baernstein.
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Emily Brown, one of the complainants and previous director of clinical education, reported an incident of harassment to OEEO on July 5, 2022.
Brown wrote that there had been times when Howell was alone in a room with one of the three female employees where he yelled at them. He also required them to document his director evaluation alone with him in his office, according to her report.
She shared that this review process was reported to Makaroff, who was CAS Dean at the time, in early 2022, but she’s not sure if any of this information was reported out of the department.
Brown outlined other issues in her report, such as when she witnessed an employee get upset to the point of leaving campus to go home, and Howell requesting print copies of their employee files.
Brown wrote she was worried about her safety and the safety of her team members on campus, as well as Howell filing a lawsuit against her.
Howell also received two claims of harassment from one unidentified student.
The OEEO investigated the student’s report that Howell had discriminated against him or her on the basis of religion or gender, and then later disability, in August of 2024. The Office did not find Howell to be clearly guilty of that charge. But it did find that “more likely than not” he had violated policies on the treatment of students with disabilities.
Howell wrote an email in response to the investigation’s conclusion.
“It is with respect that I request that the outcome of this investigation be reviewed on the basis that it was not thorough, and that the conclusion is erroneous and is not supported by the investigation,” Howell wrote.
According to an evaluation of his professional activities from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2024, Howell led the PA program through its planned growth to full capacity.
“Howell has had important accomplishments this year, particularly leading up to a successful site visit and accreditation review,” Baernstein wrote in the evaluation. “He has made good progress in reaching some goals, but some areas of improvement are still needed. I look forward to working with him this year.”
The Grievance Committee of CAS received charges of violations to the standards of Good Teaching Practice and Professional Ethics by a student. The student is unnamed due to privacy reasons.
After a hearing on Nov. 20, 2025 — where committee members asked a range of questions to gain full context of the complaint — the committee voted unanimously that Howell did not violate good teaching practices or professional ethics in his responses to the student’s requests.
There have been no claims against Howell since these incidents.
In Howell’s 2024 Evaluation of Professional Activities, Baernstein said a year prior she charged Howell with making a number of improvements in administrative and leadership tasks, per her Evaluation of Administrators report of Sept. 11, 2024.
Although Baernstein wrote there was still a continued need for improvement, she recommended Howell for the PA program director position.
She wrote he had improved in attending and participating in college and university meetings; a required program-wide training on accommodations was completed on time; and faculty reviews, reports and supervisory actions have been submitted in a timelier manner, though not always as directed or in final form.
“He has been a proactive and constructive contributor to fundraising and outreach and his skilled presentation of the program to stakeholders is much appreciated,” Baernstein wrote.
According to the Office of Human Resources reappointment letter to Howell, Howell’s contract end date was May 16, 2026.
Abby Steele, president of the 2027 cohort in the PA program, brought her concerns about the leadership change to the Board of Trustees meeting on Feb. 27.
Steele said under Howell, the PA program was flourishing. The inaugural class matched the national average for a first-time pass rate of 92% on the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam.
“Dr. Howell is not ‘just a program director,’” Steele said. “He’s a leader in the truest sense of the word. He’s kind, compassionate and leads with empathy and integrity. His availability to help students and consistent presence in the building is something we’ve never received from any other faculty. That level of leadership cannot be replaced.”
Not long after Howell’s demotion, Todd Bialowas, medical director of the PA Studies program, sent PA students an email announcing his resignation on Feb. 3.
“As I do not support the recent changes in PA program leadership, and can no longer in good conscience promote the program to others, I have chosen to resign my position as Medical Director,” Bialowas wrote in the email, “effective immediately.”
Howell did not respond to The Miami Student’s request to interview.
A current student in the PA program, who will remain anonymous for fear of facing repercussions from faculty, said for all the students who have signed a contract and invested money based on a program led by Howell and Bialowas, it feels like they are being blindsided by a decision that directly affects their education.
Howell resigned on March 31.
PA faculty member Joan Kolodzik, who has taught anatomy and physiology in the PA program for three years, started as the new medical director April 1.
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