Joe Parks, MD
Vice President, Practice Improvement & Medical Director, Strategy and Growth Office,, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
Dr. Parks currently serves as Medical Director at The National Council for Mental Wellbeing and Chief Medical Officer for firsthand. He is a Distinguished Research Professor of Science at Missouri Institute of Mental Health with the University of Missouri, St. Louis and the national behavioral health representative at large for The Joint Commission. He practices outpatient psychiatry at Compass Health Network, a Certified Community Behavioral Health Center and federally funded community health center in Columbia Missouri.
He previously served as the Director of Missouri MO HealthNet Division (Missouri Medicaid) in the Missouri Department of Social Services. He was also Medical Director for the Missouri Department of Mental Health in Jefferson City and the Division Director for the Division of Comprehensive Psychiatric Services.
Dr. Parks has conducted research and published in the areas of implementation of evidence-based medicine, pharmacy utilization management, integration of behavioral healthcare with general healthcare, and health care policy. He has received numerous awards for improving the quality of care and leadership.