Josh Ehrlich

 Joshua (Josh) Ehrlich, MD
Paul R Lichter Research Professor
Associate Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
Medical School
Research Associate Professor
Survey Research Center
Institute for Social Research
Associate Director
Global Health Equity
University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
1000 Wall Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48105
[email protected]
Available to mentor
Josh Ehrlich
Joshua (Josh) Ehrlich, MD
Associate Professor
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  • Research Overview
  • Recent Publications

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    • About

    Josh Ehrlich is a population health scientist and global aging expert, bridging epidemiology, demography, public policy, and clinical medicine to study healthy aging and well-being worldwide.

    An ophthalmologist trained in epidemiology, Dr. Ehrlich is the Paul R. Lichter Research Professor. He is an Associate Professor of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences and Research Associate Professor in the Institute for Social Research. He also serves as an Associate Director of the Center for Global Health Equity. In addition, Dr. Ehrlich holds an appointment at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine as Honorary Associate Professor.

    Dr. Ehrlich's research is funded by various NIH institutes and centers, including the National Institute on Aging (NIA), National Eye Institute (NEI), and Fogarty International Center (FIC), as well as Gates Ventures. He is Principal Investigator of the Longitudinal Study of Health and Ageing in Kenya (LOSHAK), a transformative population-level platform for studying aging in East Africa, which provides critical data to shape global understanding about health, retirement, and well-being in later-life. His research also explores sensory health - with a focus on vision and eye health - as a lens to understand aging, health, and well-being through initiatives like SENSE Network and Mi-SHARC, collaboratives that are dedicated to interdisciplinary research, training, and policy translation.

    Dr. Ehrlich's research and commentary have appeared in outlets such as The New York Times, CNN, Lancet Global Health, and Nature Aging and he has advised policymakers and media on how science can inform fairer, healthier aging for all societies.

    Visit joshehrlich.org for more information.

    Links
    • Website
    • linkedin

    Center Memberships
    • Center Member
      e-Health and Artificial Intelligence Initiative
    • Center Member
      Center for Global Health Equity
    • Center Member
      Global REACH
    • Center Member
      Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation

    Research Overview

    - Population health science
    - Population aging
    - Aging and disability
    - Survey research
    - Aging and sensory health (vision, hearing, olfaction, taste, touch, balance)
    - Cognitive health and dementia
    - Global health
    - Global eye health
    - Health policy
    - Scientific knowledge translation

    Recent Publications

     See All Publications
    • Journal Article
      Visual Impairment and Driving in Older Adults: A Narrative Review
      Xu S, Ehrlich JR, De Lott LB. Current Treatment Options in Neurology, 2026 Dec 1; 28 (1): DOI:10.1007/s11940-026-00871-z
    • Journal Article
      Twenty years of USAID and NIH eye health funding for Sub-Saharan Africa: A descriptive analysis of a bibliometric dataset
      Herrod SK, Alder CJ, Hutton-Mensah E, Friedman DS, Zhao Y, Ademola-Popoola D, Essuman VA, Kalua K, Ehrlich JR, Goss D, Sherief ST. Ajo International, 2026 Jul 6; 3 (2): DOI:10.1016/j.ajoint.2026.100243
    • Journal Article
      A Clinically Relevant Threshold of Impaired Contrast Sensitivity Among Older US Adults.
      Xu S, Nguyen M, Zhou Y, Hu M, Ehrlich JR, De Lott LB. JAMA Ophthalmol, 2026 May 28; DOI:10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2026.1570
      PMID: 42207527
    • Journal Article
      Locally-affiliated authorship in global eye health research conducted in Sub-Saharan Africa between 2003 and 2022.
      Herrod SK, Hutton-Mensah EY, Alder CJ, Friedman DS, Zhao Y, Ademola-Popoola D, Essuman VA, Rees CA, Kalua K, Goss D, Ehrlich JR, Sherief ST. Eye (Lond), 2026 May 27; DOI:10.1038/s41433-026-04576-0
      PMID: 42203989
    • Journal Article
      Family Screening in Glaucoma: A Scoping Review.
      Odayappan A, Ehrlich JR, Berendschot TT, Owda A, Rama Iyer SS, Sun M, Iswarya M, Mala R, Kavitha S, Ab C, Venkatesh R. Ophthalmol Glaucoma, 2026 Mar 16; DOI:10.1016/j.ogla.2026.03.003
      PMID: 41850528
    • Journal Article
      Dual sensory loss and cognitive performance among older adults in India
      Myers CA, Zhang W, Nagarajan N, Lee J, Dey AB, Dey S, Banerjee J, Khobragade P, Dhankhar A, Reed NS, Ehrlich JR. Journal of Alzheimer S Disease, 2026 Mar 1; 110 (1 Supplement Issue: Sensory Loss in Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias): S130 - S140. DOI:10.1177/13872877251362829
      PMID: 40734472
    • Journal Article
      Summary population attributable fraction of dementia prevalence associated with sensory risk factors
      Smith JR, Wang X, Zhang W, Garcia Morales EE, Varadaraj V, Swenor BK, Almidani L, Ramulu P, Whitson HE, Martinez-Amezcua P, Lin FR, Reed NS, Ehrlich JR, Deal JA. Journal of Alzheimer S Disease, 2026 Mar 1; 110 (1 Supplement Issue: Sensory Loss in Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias): S152 - S163. DOI:10.1177/13872877251386439
      PMID: 41105591
    • Journal Article
      Social Isolation and Sensory Difficulties: A Comparison of Populations from Mexico and the United States.
      Trujillo Tanner C, Yorgason JB, Case Fankhauser R, Olmo J, Wanlass J, Wettstein M, Ehrlich JR, Markides K. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci, 2026 Feb 18; DOI:10.1093/geronb/gbag023
      PMID: 41707229

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