Darryl Kaelin, M.D.

Chief, Professor, Specialty: Traumatic Brain Injury

Department of Neurological Surgery, Division of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation


220 Abraham Flexner Way 502-588-2160

Make an appointment with Dr. Kaelin

Dr. Kaelin specializes in neurorehabilitation with a focus on traumatic brain injury and stroke. He is a nationally-renowned speaker on the subjects of concussion, spasticity management, and neuropharmacology.

Dr. Kaelin is board certified by the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and the American Board of Electrodiagnostic Medicine. He is the Division Chief of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and a Professor in the Department of Neurological Surgery at the University of Louisville. There, he directs the clinical inpatient rotation for the Division's residents and previously served as the Residency Program Director.

Additionally, Dr. Kaelin has published widely in peer-reviewed journals on brain injury medical education, pharmaceutical treatments, spasticity, and service reimbursements. He has also led numerous non-published medication trials sponsored through pharmaceutical funding. He has delivered presentations at regional and national conferences in the areas of spasticity management, pharmaceutical management of brain injury, and medical business practice issues. He serves as President of the Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and has held several positions within the Association of Academic Physiatrists. He speaks nationally and internationally on several rehabilitation topics including the management of spasticity, deep vein thrombosis, and neuropharmacology.

Dr. Kaelin obtained his undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame where he played varsity baseball. He earned his medical degree from the University of Louisville School of Medicine and completed his specialty training at the Medical College of Virginia where he presided as their chief resident.

Before assuming his current positions with the University of Louisville and Frazier Rehabilitation Center, Dr. Kaelin spent six years as the Medical Director of the Acquired Brain Injury Program at Atlanta's Shepherd Center, a catastrophic care hospital for people with spinal cord and brain injuries. While at the Shepherd Center, he also served as the Medical Director of Brain Injury Research and was a Clinical Associate Professor of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation in Emory University's School of Medicine.

Previously, Dr. Kaelin served for ten years as the Medical Director of the Hook Rehabilitation Center in Indianapolis, where he managed patients with neurological trauma. While there, he was a founding faculty member of the Indiana University's Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Department.

Dr. Kaelin is a native of Louisville, Kentucky, where he currently lives with his wife and their three children. He enjoys coaching sports and traveling in his leisure time.

To learn more about Dr. Kaelin, click here.

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