Mary Alexis Iaccarino, MD: One Service Member’s Success Story Post-Home Base Program

Dr. Mary Alexis Iaccarino tells the story of a service member who sent her team a note of thanks along with a photo of himself attending his daughter’s graduation. Before attending the Home Base program as well as a special brain health and trauma program for Special Operations Forces, he could never have imagined being in a crowd filled with noises and lights. For him, attending the graduation was a huge win; because of treatment he was able to participate in a big family moment.

Dr. Mary Alexis Iaccarino is director, Clinical TBI and Brain Health Services, Home Base.

For information about treatments for brain injury please visit The Treatment Hub.

We had a service member who attended our two-week intensive program, and also attended our comprehensive brain health and trauma program, which is a brain injury program for Special Operations forces. And he sent us a picture attending his daughter’s graduation which, going into a crowd, and being around a lot of people, and dealing with the noise and the lights, was something he never thought he would be able to do. And yet he sent us a nice note that he was actually able to do this and what it meant to his daughter, that he would be there and what it meant to his spouse, that he was going to be present for this event. It was much bigger than just a graduation ceremony; it was a huge step in him engaging with his family and being part of, you know, big memories for all of them. So, just one example of how treatment actually gets people back engaging with their family. And doing the things they really want to do. BrainLine is powered in part by Wounded Warrior Project to honor and empower post-9/11 injured service members, veterans, and their families.

Posted on BrainLine September 28, 2021. Reviewed September 28, 2021.

About the author: Mary Alexis Iaccarino, MD

Mary Alexis Iaccarino, MD, is a board-certified physiatrist with sub-specialty training in brain injury medicine. Her clinical and research areas of interest include diagnostic and treatment strategies in mild traumatic brain injury including blast and sport-related concussion. Dr. Iaccarino joined the Home Base team in 2016 as a brain injury physiatrist for the Intensive Clinical Program (ICP) and outpatient TBI program. Her goal is to provide comprehensive, evidenced-based brain injury care to veterans through multidisciplinary collaboration with psychology, neuropsychology, physical therapy, psychiatry, and other specialists. She specializes in the treatment of physical, cognitive, and behavioral deficits that occur after brain injury including headaches, pain, dizziness and vision symptoms, sleep difficulties, fatigue, concentration, and memory problems.

Headshot of Dr. Mary Alexis Iaccarino in a salmon button-down shirt