Joseph Kamerath, MD is a physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) physician who trained at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, DC. He served 17 years in the United States Army, including deployments to Afghanistan, Korea, and Abu Dhabi. Dr. Kamerath earned his MBA from Strayer University and holds medical board certifications in PM&R and electrodiagnostic medicine. He has served as Senior Medical Director for Rehabilitation for Intermountain Health, overseeing rehabilitation care across 33 hospitals, 70+ outpatient therapy clinics, five inpatient rehabilitation units, and over 2,100 rehabilitation caregivers. He is also a volunteer board member of the Brain Injury Alliance of Utah. He and his wife, Tammy, have five children, one cat, and 67 nieces and nephews. Summary In this episode of the Concussion Coach Podcast, host Bethany Lewis interviews Dr. Joseph Kamerath about his work on a groundbreaking Utah-based project that addresses traumatic brain injury within the incarcerated population to reduce domestic violence recidivism, The Utah Domestic Violence Brain Injury Screening and Support Project: Reducing recidivism for justice involved women and men perpetrators of domestic violence with brain injury. Dr. Kamerath begins by sharing his career journey, including his training at Walter Reed during the height of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, his military service across multiple countries, and his extensive experience in rehabilitation medicine. He explains how his global perspective has shaped his understanding of healthcare systems and his desire to improve care delivery. The conversation then focuses on the Utah Neurorehabilitation Fund (formerly House Bill 400), a state-funded program created approximately 12 years ago to provide outpatient neurorehabilitation for uninsured and underinsured individuals with brain injuries. Funded through ATV registration fees and DUI impound fees, this program has doubled return-to-work rates for people with spinal cord injuries compared to other states. Dr. Kamerath describes how he became involved with this fund and his collaboration with former legislator Eric Hutchings to address an underutilized resource. Dr. Kamerath developed a white paper proposing the use of the fund to treat traumatic brain injury in incarcerated individuals to reduce domestic violence recidivism. The project gained momentum and secured a federal grant from the Department of Corrections. The project involves collaboration between the Department of Corrections, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Parole, Phoenix Services, the Brain Injury Alliance of Utah, and Intermountain Health. Resource facilitators screen incarcerated individuals approaching release for traumatic brain injury history—with 91% of the 150 screened so far testing positive for TBI with subsequent neurocognitive deficits. Participants receive peer support and educational classes while incarcerated, then are connected with outpatient neurorehabilitation (primarily speech-language pathology and occupational therapy) after release. Dr. Kamerath highlights similar programs in Pennsylvania, Florida, and Indiana, noting that Indiana's randomized clinical trial showed dramatic reductions in recidivism and arrest rates. Importantly, while rates of aggressive feelings remained similar between treatment and control groups, the treatment group developed better coping strategies, leading to fewer re-arrests. Resources Mentioned Organizations Brain Injury Alliance of Utah – Nonprofit organization; https://www.braininjuryutah.org/ Dr. Kamerath serves as a volunteer board member Phoenix Services – Nonprofit organization partnering on the project https://www.phoenixservices.org/ NASHIA (National Association of State Head Injury Administrators) – National organization collaborating on the project https://www.nashia.org/
