Josh Ehrlich

Josh Ehrlich is an Associate Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the University of Michigan Medical School, with a joint appointment as Research Associate Professor at the Institute for Social Research. He is also a Visiting Scientist at the CDC and Co-Director of the Kellogg Eye Center’s Global Ophthalmology Program. His clinical practice focuses on glaucoma and anterior segment diseases at the Kellogg Eye Center. Ehrlich’s interdisciplinary research merges epidemiology, demography, and clinical insights to study sensory health impacts on aging populations, particularly vision and multisensory impairments’ effects on cognitive, psychosocial, and physical health. He leads the Longitudinal Study of Health and Aging in Kenya (LOSHAK), a population-representative study of aging in Sub-Saharan Africa, and collaborates globally on projects like the SENSE Network and the Diagnostic Assessment of Dementia for the Longitudinal Aging Study in India (LASI-DAD).

• Education:
  • B.A. in Anthropology and Spanish, Washington University (2004)
  • M.D., Weill Cornell Medical College (2011)
  • M.P.H. in Epidemiology, Columbia University (2010)
  • Ophthalmology Residency, Wills Eye Hospital (2015)
  • Glaucoma Fellowship, University of Michigan (2017)
• Research Interests:
  • Global health equity in eye care
  • Impact of vision impairment on late-life outcomes
  • Epidemiology of age-related eye diseases
  • Low vision rehabilitation strategies

His work is funded by NIH (NEI, NIA), the CDC, and global health initiatives. Awards include the Heed Ophthalmic Foundation Fellowship (2016–2017). Ehrlich serves on editorial boards and WHO advisory groups, advocating for global eye health policies.

Key collaborations span Kenya, India, and South Asia, emphasizing capacity-building and systems strengthening in low-resource settings. Current projects include validating performance-based glaucoma outcomes and evaluating telemedicine models for rural eye care.