Biography

Joe Wheat received his Bachelor of Science in Biology from The University of Texas at Austin, followed by his Doctor of Optometry from The University of Houston College of Optometry. He completed an optometric residency at the Baltimore Veterans Administration Medical Center affiliated with Salus University Pennsylvania College of Optometry before returning to the University of Houston College of Optometry to complete a Ph.D. in Vision Science. Past honors include the William C. Ezell fellowship award, the Institutional Ruth Kirschstein National Research Post-Doctorate Award, and the NIH Mentored-Clinician K award. He has also held a position at the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Administration Medical Center in Houston, Texas where he was director of the optometric residency program. In 2017, he joined the University of Houston College of Optometry faculty and is currently the director of the ocular disease optometric residency program and an instructor for Ocular Pathology of the Posterior Segment course and the Grand Rounds and New Developments course. He is a member of the Optometric Glaucoma Society and a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry.