Joshua Ong, MD

Incoming Cornea & Refractive Surgery Fellow at Harvard & Mass Eye and Ear | Forbes 30 Under 30 | RWO Skilled Surgeon Award | Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Medical Artificial Intelligence | United Nations SGH Taskforce

United States

About

Forbes 30 Under 30. Recipient of the Skilled Surgeon Award by Real World Ophthalmology. Heed Fellow. Editor of textbooks Ophthalmology of Sports, Fundamentals of Space Medicine and Clinical Technology, and Associate Editor of Spaceflight Associated Neuro-Ocular Syndrome. Served on Medical School Admissions Committee. I have served in various academic roles including a grant reviewer for the U.K. Space Agency and U.S. National Science Foundation, as well as Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Medical Artificial Intelligence. I have published 3 textbooks as an Editor and 240+ papers in peer-reviewed journals including collaborative work with NASA and the National Football League (NFL), and conducted research that has launched into space. I served as a co-author on 3 NASA-funded grants. I am humbled to be listed on Forbes 30 Under 30 for work in space medicine ophthalmology, including publishing the first textbook on spaceflight associated neuro-ocular syndrome and investigating how to surgically/medically manage ocular trauma in microgravity. I have given a TEDx talk and co-authored a presentation at the United Nations (UN) and World Health Organization (WHO) on our work in space medicine ophthalmology and translating these technologies to improve human health on Earth. With this passion, I currently serve on the United Nations Space & Global Health Curriculum Taskforce. I am fortunate to have been awarded 40+ institutional awards/honors including the Paul R. Lichter Resident Mentor Award, the Kaplan Humanitarian Award, the Outstanding Senior Award, O'Malley Award for Outstanding Medical Student Research, as well as the James M. LaBerge Award for my research on optimizing cataract surgery safety. During residency, I was humbled to be one of the ten residents selected nationally for the Resident Excellence Award by the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery that “honors 10 outstanding ophthalmology residents whose exemplary performance in research, patient care, leadership, and education has set them apart”. I graduated residency receiving The Aizman Award “for achievement of academic excellence with most significant scholarly work while acquiring the highest distinction in clinical training during residency”. To read more about my passion about the integration of space medicine technology to attenuate preventable vision loss: Nature.com/articles/s41526-022-00222-7 My TEDx Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FXk7ZLXjr8 To learn more about my work: https://www.joshua-ong.com/

Experience

  • Ophthalmology Resident Physician at University of Michigan
    Jul 2022 - Present · 4 yrs 1 mo

    Graduated receiving The Aizman Award, awarded to the top graduate “for achievement of academic excellence with most significant scholarly work while acquiring the highest distinction in clinical training during residency”.

  • Forbes 30 Under 30 at Forbes
    Dec 2023 - Present · 2 yrs 8 mos

    Class of 2024

  • Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Medical Artificial Intelligence at AME Publishing Company
    Sep 2024 - Present · 1 yr 11 mos

    Prior to Editor-in-Chief, served as Associate Editor-in-Chief February February 2024 - August 2024 https://journals.lww.com/jmai/pages/default.aspx https://jmai.amegroups.org/about/editorInChief

  • United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs Space & Global Health Taskforce Member at United Nations
    Sep 2025 - Present · 11 mos

  • Elsevier (4 yrs 7 mos)
    • Editor of Fundamentals of Space Medicine and Clinical Technology (ISBN 9780443329043)
      Dec 2025 - Present · 8 mos

    • Associate Editor of Spaceflight Associated Neuro-Ocular Syndrome (ISBN 9780323915243)
      2022 - Present · 4 yrs 7 mos