The Intersection of Deflection, Traumatic Brain Injuries, and Substance Use Disorders Podcast Series
In this podcast series, the National Association of State Head Injury Administrators (NASHIA) team explores the interconnectivity between brain injury, behavioral health, law enforcement, and the justice system. Through the episodes, the team interviews experts and discusses the prevalence, impacts, and best practices for law enforcement to engage in successful interactions with those living with brain injury and behavioral health conditions. Specific topics covered include:
Prevalence of brain injury in behavioral health and the justice system
Supporting productive communication between first responders and individuals with lived experience of brain injury
Best practices for first responders and successful collaborations to support those at this intersection
Subject-matter experts and guest speakers include Dr. Kim Gorgens (University of Denver), Dr. Ivory Tubbs (Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education), Dr. Charles Smith (former Substance Abuse and MH Services Administration Region 8 Administrator), Corporal Jennifer Speith (Anne Arundel County, Maryland, MH Agency), Anastasia Edmonston (Maryland Behavioral Health Administration), Cheryl Kempf (individual with lived experience), The Honorable Scott Cooper (Collaborative Courts, Orange County, California), Caitlin Synovec (National Health Care for the Homeless Council), Angela Klinenberger (individual with lived experience), Dr. Jaclyn Caccese (Ohio State University), Dr. Patricia Kay Reyna (researcher for family and caregiver interventions), and Deputy Josh Walters (Franklin County, Ohio, Sheriff’s Office).
Episode 1: Connecting Brain Injury, Substance Use, and the Criminal Justice System
Join us for our first episode in a four-part series, as we discuss the connectedness of brain injury, substance use, and the criminal justice system with Dr. Kim Gorgens, Dr. Ivory Tubbs, and Dr. Charlie Smith. Dr. Gorgens is a professor of psychophysiology, clinical neuropsychology, and psychology of criminal behavior at the University of Denver. After serving in the United States Air Force, Dr. Tubbs began his career in the behavioral health field and today is the technical expert lead for the Behavioral Health Program at the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education. Dr. Smith is the former regional Administrator for the Substance Abuse and MH Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Region 8 and served as the lead federal authority for behvarioral health and substance use. We will be discussing the prevalence of brain injury within the behavioral health and criminal justice populations and how the justice system and community can support these individuals.
Episode 2: Supporting Productive Communication: Tips for First Responders to Identify Brain Injury and Deflecting Arrest
This episode, the second in a four-part series, will focus on sharing tips for first responders to identify potential brain injuries and support productive communication to deflect arrests or recidivism in the system. Joined by Corporal Jennifer Speith, who spent 20 years at the Anne Arundel County, Maryland, Police Department; Anastasia Edmonston, trainer and consultant for the National Association of State Head Injury Administrators (NASHIA); and Cheryl Kempf, an individual with lived experience with a brain injury, we will discuss their experiences working, training, and engaging with first responders. We will explore why it is important for first responders to be able to recognize potential brain injuries (or histories of brain injury) and the types of positive communication that can support these individuals.
Episode 3: Importance of Community Partnerships: Brain Injury in the Justice System and Responding to Special Populations
In this third episode of a four-part series, join us for a discussion with the Honorable Scott Cooper, a supervising judge of the Collaborative Courts in Orange County, California; Caitlin Synovec, Assistant Director of Medical Respite for the National Health Care for the Homeless Council and a National Association of State Head Injury Administrators (NASHIA) consultant; and Angela Klingenberger, an individual with experience of a brain injury and the justice system. We will explore the prevalence of brain injury among populations that are at higher risk for brain injury and justice involvement and how community collaborations and partnerships can create positive outcomes for these individuals.
Episode 4: Supporting First Responders: Emerging Considerations and Best Practices for Those Who Have Experienced a Brain Injury
The last episode in our four-part series is focused on supporting first responders and law enforcement members who have personal experience with a brain injury. Joined by Dr. Jacyln Caccese, Assistant Professor in the Division of Athletic Training in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at The Ohio State University; Dr. Kay Reyna, who is currently researching interventions and support for those with traumatic brain injury and their families; and Deputy Josh Walters of the Franklin County, Ohio, Sheriff’s Office SWAT team, we will discuss best practices and emerging considerations to support first responders, using informed approaches and integrated officer wellness.
Speaker Biographies
Jaclyn Caccese, PhD, is an assistant professor in the Division of Athletic Training in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at The Ohio State University (Ohio State). She is also a member of Ohio State’s Interdisciplinary Chronic Brain Injury Program. She currently co-directs the Sport and Tactical Athlete Injury Resiliency Science (STAIRS) Lab at Ohio State, which aims to raise awareness, monitor, and enhance sport and tactical athlete brain health across the lifespan. Specifically, Dr. Caccese’s research focuses on repetitive head impacts and concussions in sport and tactical athletes.
The Honorable Scott Cooper is the supervising judge of the Collaborative Courts in Orange County, California. In that role, he presides over criminal courts that focus on defendants with behavioral health and substance use disorders.
Anastasia Edmonston, MS, CRC, is a consultant with the National Association of State Head Injury Administrators (NASHIA), providing training and consulting on the topics of brain injury and behavioral health, criminal justice and public safety, and survivor-centered practices through a brain injury-informed lens. Ms. Edmonston has worked in the field of rehabilitation services with individuals impacted by brain injury for over 30 years in both inpatient and outpatient services as a case manager, program coordinator, champion, and vocational rehabilitation counselor. She currently serves as the project coordinator for the Maryland Behavioral Health Administration’s Federal Traumatic Brain Injury Partner Grant. In this capacity, she provides coordination of project initiatives, including training on the topics of brain injury, survivor-centered thinking and planning to professionals who work in the fields of aging, behavioral health and addiction (with a focus on the link between addiction and brain injury), and law enforcement. Ms. Edmonston obtained her master of science degree in rehabilitation counseling from Boston University and is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor. She earned a post-graduate certificate in instructional systems development from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, in 2014.
Kim Gorgens, PhD, is a professor of psychophysiology, clinical neuropsychology, and psychology of criminal behavior at the University of Denver. She manages a large portfolio of brain injury (BI)-related research and has lectured extensively on those issues around the world. Dr. Gorgens has a 2010 TED talk on youth sports concussion and a 2018 TED talk on brain injuries in criminal justice with 3.5 million views. She has been interviewed on CNN with Anderson Cooper, NPR, and 20/20, and her work with brain injuries has been featured in U.S. News & World Report, Newsweek, The Economist, and more. Her research studies the reported injury history, cognitive function, and brain biomarkers of all special populations, including young and older athletes, probationers and inmates, persons who are homeless, and people who have been exposed to interpersonal violence. Dr. Gorgens is board-certified in rehabilitation psychology and is the past-president of the American Psychological Association’s Division on Rehabilitation Psychology. She is also the former vice president of the American Board of Rehabilitation Psychology, a former president of the Colorado Neuropsychological Society, a previous chair of the American Psychological Association Committee on Disability Issues in Psychology, and a former elected representative on the American Psychological Association Council of Representatives. Dr. Gorgens has a small forensic practice with juvenile and death penalty cases and is active in legislative and policy development around best practices in brain injury. Specifically, as part of the Colorado Brain Injury Legislative Collaborative, she was involved in drafting and supporting the 2011 concussion law for the State of Colorado (Senate Bill 40 – The Jake Snakenberg Youth Concussion Act), the 2021 Senate Bill to require screening for brain injuries in the department of corrections, and the 2022 Senate Bill to require that survivors of violent crime be screened for brain injury.
Patricia Kay Reyna, EdD, received her doctorate degree in education and organizational leadership from Grand Canyon University. She serves as a content expert for doctoral learners and is an adjunct professor, and she has a variety of education, nonprofit, health care, caregiving, and ministry experience. Dr. Reyna’s research interests include catastrophically injured law enforcement officers in the United States, including those with traumatic brain injury (TBI); prevalence of TBI among law enforcement officers, firefighters, and other first responders; first responder suicide; and suicide prevention mediators, including hope. Her research interests also focus on interventions for caregivers providing care for persons with TBI.
Cheryl Kempf is an acquired brain injury (ABI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) survivor from Austin, Texas. She is an champion and speaker for brain injury legislation and was a major catalyst in passing Texas HB 13/38, 84th Regular Session, in 2015 and HR 29/92, 117th Congressional Session, in 2020—the Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and PTSD Law Enforcement Training Act. She lobbied in both the Texas and national capitals, legislator by legislator at the start, speaking from her own experience and recovery to illustrate the need for this protection of brain injury survivors. Her testimony includes speaking to both the Texas Legislative Committee on Emerging Issues in Law Enforcement and the Congressional Legislative Briefing held as part of Brain Injury Day on Capitol Hill in 2020. Ms. Kempf received the 2016 Brain Injury Alliance of Texas’ Tom Dean Humanitarian Award and the 2022 National Association of State Head Injury Administrators’ (NASHIA) William A. B. Ditto Excellence in Public Service Award for her work.
Angela Klingenberger is a person with lived experience of brain injury and involvement in the criminal legal system, having unique insights shaped by her personal journey. Ms. Klingenberger offers a profound glimpse into the complexities of navigating both brain injury and legal systems, enriching discussions as systems look to improve outcomes for people with brain injuries.
Originally from South Florida, Corporal Jennifer Spieth earned a bachelor of arts degree in criminology and criminal justice from the University of Maryland and a master of science degree in criminal justice from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. She retired from the Anne Arundel County, Maryland, Police Department after a 20-year career. During her last 9 years on the police department, Corporal Spieth worked on the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT), which serves people who are experiencing a behavioral health crisis. She is now the CIT training coordinator for the Anne Arundel County MH Agency, which trains police officers across the metropolitan Maryland/Washington, D.C., area.
Charlie Smith, PhD, is a licensed psychologist with over 25 years of clinical experience in fields of forensic psychology, addictions psychology, emergency/crisis intervention, integrated care, and behavioral health policy and administration. In 2011, he was selected as the first regional Administrator for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and MH Services Administration (SAMHSA) in Region 8. In this role, Dr. Smith served as the lead federal authority for behavioral health and substance use and represented the Assistant Secretary for MH and Substance Use in fulfilling the agency’s mission of reducing the impact of mental illness and substance use on America’s communities. Prior to joining SAMHSA, Dr. Smith served as the director of the Colorado Division of Behavioral Health and deputy commissioner of behavioral health and substance abuse for the State of Colorado. He led the statewide integration of substance use and behavioral health systems, coordinated initiatives to increase behavioral health workforces, expanded statewide prevention and early intervention programs, advanced community-based behavioral health services and reentry policies for offenders, and developed the state’s first recovery-oriented system of care plan.
Caitlin Synovec is currently the assistant director of medical respite for the National Health Care for the Homeless Council. She is an occupational therapist providing consultative services to national and state organizations. She has clinical experience in working with adults experiencing homelessness to improve quality of life and engagement in their preferred communities. Ms. Synovec has studied and developed clinical and program resources to address the intersection of homelessness, poverty, traumatic brain injury, and behavioral health, and their impact on health and community living.
Prior to earning his doctorate degree in psychology, Dr. Ivory Tubbs served in the United States Air Force during Operation Desert Shield in logistics in 1991. Prior to his discharge from the military, Dr. Tubbs’ career in the behavioral health field began in Las Vegas, Nevada, as a crisis intervention specialist. Later, he transitioned to the role of child development assistant with Clark County Family Services. In 1999, he was appointed as the executive director of Windsor Village Social Services, an agency working in conjunction with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide emergency food, shelter, and utility assistance for area residents. In addition to fulfilling his duties as executive director, Dr. Tubbs was also a senior public health investigator with the City of Houston, Bureau of Epidemiology, conducting psychosocial assessments regarding opioid use within the HIV/AIDS community for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). After his simultaneous roles as executive director and senior public health investigator, he began adding to his knowledge base by joining the University of Texas School of Health Sciences Psychiatric Center working with acute and subacute psychosis patients as well as patients in the forensic psychology unit for the Houston Police Department.
Deputy Josh Walters is a graduate of The Ohio State University, where he majored in criminology and minored in coaching. He has worked with the Franklin County, Ohio, Sheriff’s Office since 2011 with 7 years in the patrol division and 4 years in corrections. Currently, Deputy Walters is on the SWAT team and helped create and has run its peer support team for the past 2 years.
