Dr. Joel Ross

Dr. Joel Ross has devoted nearly 40 years to medicine as a physician, clinical researcher, teacher, lecturer, and author. His career reflects a consistent commitment to patient care, medical education, and clinical research, particularly in the care of older adults. His professional accomplishments include being named Teacher of the Year, becoming the first geriatrician in New Jersey, and establishing the state's first geriatric fellowship program. He has also been recognized as a Best Doctor in New Jersey and has contributed to bringing FDA-approved oral and transdermal medications for Alzheimer’s disease to market. He is the founder and CEO of J&D Pharmaceuticals LLC, based in Monmouth, New Jersey. His clinical expertise is centered on geriatric medicine, including the diagnosis and treatment of conditions associated with aging. This work includes the care of patients with cognitive disorders and the management of complex medical conditions affecting older adults. His approach emphasizes careful assessment, evidence-based treatment, and continuity of care. On a personal level, he has been happily married for nearly 47 years and maintains an active lifestyle. Dr. Ross is ranked number one in the country at the highest level of expertise in men’s doubles pickleball, ages 70-74, and is ranked in the top 5 nationally in men’s singles. His accomplishments include many gold, silver, and bronze medals earned in both singles and doubles competition. Dr. Joel Ross received his undergraduate education at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, where he earned a BA in Biology. He later obtained his Medical Degree from Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn and became chief resident at Nassau County Medical Center. He completed a Fellowship in Geriatric Medicine at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York under the mentorship of Dr. Robert N. Butler, the first Director of the National Institute on Aging. Following his training, he was selected as the first Medical Director of the Anna Alexander Greenwall Geriatric Program at Monmouth Medical Center, an endowed position. He also served as Director of the Geriatric Fellowship Program at Monmouth Medical Center, which became the first geriatric fellowship program in New Jersey and trained physicians who later practiced throughout the state and the United States. He later served for seven years as Director of the Geriatrics Section in the Department of Internal Medicine at Jersey Shore Medical Center in Neptune. Dr. Ross opened the Memory Enhancement Center of America in 2000 in New York and New Jersey, where multidisciplinary teams provided care for patients with cognitive disorders and conducted clinical research focused on Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Joel Ross has also played an essential role in pharmaceutical development and clinical research leadership. He co-founded RN NanoPharmaceuticals, LLC, in Monmouth Beach, and in 2023, founded J&D Pharmaceuticals, continuing his focus on translating scientific research into potential treatments for severe medical conditions. Through this work, he and his collaborators completed an animal study on traumatic brain injury at the University of Oklahoma. The proprietary compound JD-005 reduced acetylated tau levels and significantly improved neurological outcomes in rats following head trauma. He and his colleagues at the University of Florida in Gainesville are currently conducting clinical research examining acetylated tau as a biomarker in traumatic brain injury patients. Dr. Ross and his team have received three Orphan Drug Designations from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for compounds JD-004 and JD-005, including for Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease, Progeria and related laminopathies, and hepatocellular carcinoma. In addition to his research leadership, he has lectured widely, authored peer-reviewed publications, holds several patents, and volunteers at Parker Health Center in Red Bank, where he provides free medical care, testing, and medications to underserved populations.