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When Dr. Michael O'Dell was 12, a gunshot mishap during a hunting trip with his dad led him to visit the family pediatrician named — yes, it's true — Dr. Pepper.

"He was a very nice man we were all fond of, and someone our family truly respected," said O'Dell, explaining that during that particular hunting trip, "I managed to meet the wrong end of a rifle. It was certainly a startling experience."

O'Dell's interaction with Pepper ultimately led to his interest in pediatrics, surgery and internal medicine, which culminated in a career post as medical director of the North Mississippi Medical Center Family Medicine Residency Program, where the primary goal is to increase the number of board-certified family physicians in Mississippi.

Full of laughter and light-heartedness, O'Dell was the first of three children — and the only son — born to Edward, an airframe mechanic for Boeing, and his wife, Leatrice, an executive secretary, in Kansas. The family moved to the panhandle of Texas during O'Dell's early childhood years, and then to Colorado, where he attended grade school and junior high. "My dad left Boeing to work for Phillips Petroleum on their pipelines, and then bought a gas station in Colorado, where he could hunt and fish and make a living as an entrepreneur," explained O'Dell, who lettered in football (as a guard), wrestling, track and band (playing the trombone) at Dodge City High School in Kansas. "I was best friends with the band director's son, who also played football, so that may be one reason why we were able to do both," he joked.

Influenced by his architect brother-in-law and his granddad, a civil engineer, O'Dell initially studied architecture at Kansas State University — "I quickly decided I was not as good at drawing as thinking," he admitted — before turning his attention to pre-med studies and graduating cum laude in 1974. He earned a medical degree from the University of Kansas School of Medicine in 1977, where he completed family practice post-doctoral training. "The University of Kansas has a longstanding tradition of providing physicians in rural and underserved areas," noted O'Dell. "It's a very primary care friendly school, and provided me with a good opportunity to go into family medicine."

In 2005, nearly 30 years after finishing medical school, and after retiring as a captain from the U.S. Navy Reserve in 1998 — he served in the first Iraq War — O'Dell earned a master's degree in healthcare services administration from the University of Alabama–Birmingham. A diplomate of the American Board of Family Practice, the board-certified family physician is licensed in Mississippi, Kansas, California and Texas. He is a member of the governor-appointed Hospital Equipment and Facilities Authority, and has several other leadership roles on the local, state and national level.

"As you can tell, I have so many interests that it's an ongoing challenge to maintain a proper balance in my life," said O'Dell, who routinely reads several books at once on topics ranging from history to leadership to other non-fiction. "I have to be sure not to go too far in one direction in something that interests me."

Despite his numerous accomplishments, O'Dell has an eye on achieving other goals. "I'd like to continue improving the quality of chronic care and the training of residents in chronic care," he said. "We've done some very good work in diabetes. I just got off the phone with the National Committee for Quality Assurance. They recently certified our residency program as a NCQA Program of Excellence for Diabetes. We're really pleased about that because there are only two NCQA-certified clinics in Mississippi — one in Jackson, another in Tupelo."

O'Dell would also like to draw on his architectural acumen by helping with the building of a new hospital or clinic. "I helped with a facility in Huntsville and then left, so I'd like to be able to help with a project where I'll stay," he said, joking about his "drawer full of sketches."

O'Dell's wife, Kristi, who has a PhD in social work, teaches at the University of Mississippi. To make the daily commutes easier for both, they live in Pontotoc with their two Scotties, Angus and Fiona. Their two children, Kelly, a schoolteacher in Houston, and Brian, a seminary student focusing on marriage and family counseling, married in 2006 — Kelly in Marble Falls, Texas, and Brian in Memphis. "We had two great parties last year," said O'Dell, with a laugh. "It was a busy time." O'Dell's parents are now "snowbirds," dividing their time between homes in Houston and Estes Park, Co., "so they look after Kelly when they're in Houston."

Now that both weddings have wrapped, O'Dell has more time to hit the links — the Scot-Irish would love to play golf at the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrew's in Scotland - and tend to roses in his backyard while listening to classical music — mostly Beethoven and Bach — and jazz. "The hat I wear during the day is that of an extrovert, but I'm really an introvert," he admitted. "I love people, but when I go home, I like quiet time." He doesn't do much hunting these days. "I was an avid hunter until I graduated from high school," he said. "I guess the gunshot spooked me."


July 2007

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