An Oklahoma native, Dr. Dowell attended Oklahoma Christian University before attending medical school at Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, where he completed his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine Degree in 1997. After residency training at St. Anthony Family Medicine Residency in Oklahoma City, Dr. Dowell stayed on as faculty, eventually becoming Osteopathic Program Director. From 2007-2009, Dr. Dowell also practiced as a hospitalist at Bone and Joint Hospital in Oklahoma City and served as Medical Director for the SoonerCare Health Management Program for the Oklahoma Health Care Authority. This program sought to reduce health care costs and hospitalizations for the highest-risk Oklahoma SoonerCare patients and to improve clinician practices through practice facilitation.