Upon completing a bachelor's degree in neuroscience and biology at Oberlin College, Joseph Kenan earned a doctor of medicine from the University of Oklahoma and subsequently completed several psychiatrist residencies at UCLA. After completing a forensic psychiatry residency in 2003, Dr. Joseph Kenan became board certified in psychiatry and neurology and opened a private practice in San Francisco, California. As a psychiatrist, he specializes in psychopharmacology, forensic assessments, and addiction treatment, and has worked with more than 20,000 patients.

In addition to managing his practice, Dr. Joseph Kenan works with patients at Comprehensive Psychiatric Services and Bay Area Community Services. At the latter, he provides services to individuals with drug dependence as well as those experiencing chronic homelessness. His efforts to improve the San Francisco community also include membership with the city's Shelter Grievance Committee and Shelter Monitoring Committee.

Beyond patient care, Dr. Kenan has written more than a dozen peer-reviewed journal articles and co-authored four chapters of the Wiley Encyclopedia of Forensic Science. He is also a past member of the Journal of Forensic Sciences' Editor's Reviewer Board. Moreover, he has held executive positions with the American Society for Adolescent Psychiatry and the California Society for Adolescent Psychiatry.