01/23/2026
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Congratulations Dr. Katherine Pannel on being selected for this honor!
We are proud to announce our Mississippian of the Year for 2025. We will celebrate and hear from her at Annual Awards Banquet on February 5th at Table 100. Tickets Here https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2026-jackson-mississippi-chapter-annual-banquet-tickets-1980380727065?aff=oddtdtcreator
Dr. Katherine Pannel.
She is an advocate for technology and AI in transforming not only mental health but all of healthcare in Mississippi.
Katherine Pannel, DO is a board-certified psychiatrist and serves as Medical Director for RightTrack Medical Group and Magnolia Health Plan. She is certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and is a Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.
Dr. Pannel earned her undergraduate degree in Biology from Delta State University and received her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences. She completed her internship and residency training at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Dr. Pannel is the current President of the Mississippi Medical Association and President Elect of the Mississippi Psychiatric Association. She previously served as District 3 Trustee and Chair of the Mississippi State Medical Association Board of Trustees and is the past President of the Northeast Mississippi Medical Society. She also serves as President of the Mississippi Physician Health Program and sits on the board of the Mississippi Rural Physician Scholars Program. Her volunteer leadership extends to the Mississippi Osteopathic Medical Association, where she serves as Secretary, and nationally as Vice Chair of the American Psychiatric Association Political Action Committee Board.
A recognized leader in physician advocacy and mental health policy, Dr. Pannel has played a pivotal role in expanding access to mental health care across Mississippi. She has successfully advocated for telemedicine legislation to improve access to psychiatric services, particularly for rural and underserved communities. She also helped lead the development of an innovative mental health chatbot for Magnolia Health Plan, expanding timely access to behavioral health resources for patients across the state. On the national level, Dr. Pannel authored a resolution supporting telemedicine continuity for college students who establish care while attending school in-state but require ongoing mental health services when traveling home. Additionally, she has spearheaded extensive statewide efforts to increase awareness and utilization of the 988 Su***de and Crisis Lifeline as a critical avenue for emergent mental health care.
Dr. Pannel has received numerous honors recognizing her leadership and advocacy, including being named the 2024 Mississippi State Medical Association Woman Physician of the Year, the 2022 American Osteopathic Association Physician Excellence in Advocacy Award, the 2022 Mississippi Osteopathic Medical Association Excellence in Advocacy Award, and the 2021 Dr. James C. Waites Leadership Award. She is also a recipient of the Mississippi Healthcare Hero Award, MSMA Doctor of Distinction, MSMA Community Service Award, Mississippi Top 50 Under 40, and was named Oxford, Mississippi’s Best Psychiatrist in 2019 and 2020. In 2020, she received the One in a Million Award for founding Crocheting for a Cause, a volunteer initiative that provides fidget sleeves to dementia patients across Mississippi.
Dr. Pannel is a leading voice on mental health issues and has authored numerous articles published in KevinMD, The New York Times, and Better Homes & Gardens. She has provided Congressional testimony in Washington, DC on the mental health and fentanyl crises and has served as a trusted expert for local, state, and national media addressing mental health challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to serving on the MSMA COVID-19 and Telemedicine Task Forces, she spearheaded a public awareness campaign to flatten the curve during the pandemic, raising $2,400 for the Mississippi Department of Health through the sale of self-designed merchandise.
At the Mississippi State Capitol, Dr. Pannel is widely regarded as a strong physician advocate and has been instrumental in championing legislation to create and fund a psychiatry scholarship within the Mississippi Rural Physician Scholarship Program, establish an Alzheimer’s and related dementias caregiver program, and decriminalize fentanyl test strips.
She is also a passionate advocate for individuals with dyslexia, inspired by her daughter’s journey to diagnosis and access to appropriate educational resources. This personal experience fuels her commitment to improving early identification, awareness, and support for families navigating dyslexia.
While deeply committed to mental health, advocacy, and medicine, Dr. Pannel considers her most important role to be that of mom to Anabelle, Charlotte, and Beckham.
