JOSEPH
TRAN

I believe extended reality (XR) has the power to transform healthcare. I build virtual and augmented reality tools for vision science, neuroscience, and medicine.

M.D./Ph.D. Candidate · Integrative Neuroscience · UNR School of Medicine
Portrait of Joseph Tran

About

01 — Background

I'm an M.D./Ph.D. candidate in Integrative Neuroscience at the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, with a B.S. in Computer Science from Stanford University.

My work sits where immersive technology meets medicine: VR vision tests for monitoring astronaut eye health in collaboration with NASA, a VR Disparometer for studying strabismus, AR visualization of scattered radiation in the operating room, and deep learning for glaucoma detection in OCT images.

Outside the lab, I love tinkering with novel technologies to discover innovative use-cases, explore solutions for complex problems, and create fun experiences.

Focus

  • XR for healthcare
  • Ophthalmology & visual perception
  • AI for medical imaging

Skills

  • Python, C/C++, C#
  • Unity, Lens Studio, Blender
  • Git, Google Cloud Platform, Jupyter

Off the clock

  • Rock climbing
  • Social dance
  • Piano

Selected
Projects

02 — XR for Healthcare

rocket_launch

VR Vision Suite for Spaceflight

Virtual Reality / Ophthalmology / NASA Collaboration

A suite of VR ophthalmic tests for monitoring eye health in microgravity and studying Spaceflight-Associated Neuro-Ocular Syndrome (SANS).

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Curiosity Kids

Snap Spectacles / Lens Studio / Hackathon Finalist

A child-centered curiosity engine on Snap Spectacles. Finalist (top 4 of 20+ teams) at AWE Reality Hack 2026.

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Four Unity scenes from the VR Disparometer showing a checkerboard target at different depths among colored shapes

VR Disparometer

Virtual Reality / C# / Honors Thesis

A VR application that tracks eye movements to understand how people with strabismus perceive stimuli. Stanford CS honors thesis.

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HoloLens view of scattered x-ray particles above a patient model on an operating table, with a dosage heat map panel

AR X-Ray Visualizer

Augmented Reality / HoloLens / C#

A HoloLens application that visualizes scattered x-ray radiation to improve awareness in interventional suites.

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View All Projects

Selected
Research

Recent publications and presentations in ophthalmology, neuroscience, and population health.

03 — Research

2026

Designing a Virtual-Reality Neuro-Visual Assessment Platform for Spaceflight-Associated Neuro-Ocular Syndrome Upcoming

Tran J

Speaker presentation, Microgravity to Medicine Symposium, International VR Healthcare Association (IVRHA); Orlando, FL; October 27, 2026

2025

Abstract HUP2: Geographical Trends in Cerebrovascular Disease Mortality in the United States, 1999-2020

Tran J et al. Stroke 56 (Suppl 1), February 2025. American Heart Association.

DOI: 10.1161/str.56.suppl_1.HUP2 open_in_new
2025

Evaluating RETFound: A Foundation Model for Glaucoma Detection Using Macular OCT Images

Tran J, Ravindranath R, Chang R, Wang S

Poster presentation, ARVO Annual Meeting; Salt Lake City, UT; May 5, 2025

View All Publications