The quiet cardiology of everyday things.
Physician‑scientist studying how the small, everyday things — a vape, a missed screening, a quiet inflammation — shape the cardiovascular health of millions.
An introduction.
Jordan Mercer is a physician trained in Nigeria and a public health researcher trained at Johns Hopkins. His work sits at the intersection of preventive cardiology, tobacco regulation, and the everyday data that quietly decides who has a heart attack and who does not.
Since 2021 he has been a postdoctoral fellow at the Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, where he has led or co‑authored more than fifteen peer‑reviewed studies in journals including JAMA Network Open, The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, and Nicotine & Tobacco Research.
Before research, he practiced clinical medicine across internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics, and surgery in Nigeria, and supervised a COVID‑19 case‑investigation team for the Baltimore City Health Department through the pandemic's first winter.
His current work focuses on the cardiometabolic effects of e‑cigarette use, the public‑health implications of new‑class anti‑obesity therapies, and coronary‑artery calcium as a long‑run predictor of stroke. He writes, on occasion, for general audiences. He mentors junior researchers, perhaps more often.
15+
Peer-reviewed papers
5
Years postdoctoral
3
Continents practiced
538
Citations
Areas of focus.
Selected publications.
National and state estimates of SELECT trial eligibility and its public health impact in the US.
Mercer J, Khorsandi M, Blaha MJ.
E‑cigarette use and incident cardiometabolic conditions in the All of Us Research Program.
Mercer J, Yao Z, Tasdighi E, Benjamin EJ, Bhatnagar A, Blaha MJ.
Association of e‑cigarette use, psychological distress, and substance use.
Mercer J, Yao Z, Tasdighi E, El Shahawy O, Benjamin EJ, Bhatnagar A, Blaha MJ.
Coronary artery calcium for stroke mortality prediction.
Mercer J, Boakye E, Dardari Z, Dzaye O, Soroosh G, Berman DS, Budoff MJ, et al.
E‑cigarette use among U.S. adults in the 2021 BRFSS.
Mercer J, Boakye E, Obisesan O, et al.
Psychosocial stressors and current e‑cigarette use in the Youth Risk Behavior Survey.
Mercer J, Boakye E, Osuji N.
The route, annotated.
Postdoctoral Researcher, Johns Hopkins University.
Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease · Baltimore, MD
Original studies in preventive cardiology and tobacco research, including analyses of e‑cigarette use and cardiometabolic outcomes in the All of Us program. Presentations at AHA Scientific Sessions. Mentorship of junior researchers.
Supervisor, COVID‑19 Case Investigations.
Baltimore City Health Department · Baltimore, MD
Ran a contact‑tracing team through the height of the pandemic's first winter; trained new investigators; restructured the day‑to‑day workflow to keep up with case volume.
Master of Public Health, Biostatistics & Epidemiology.
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health · Baltimore, MD
Capstone on differences in the impact of traditional cardiovascular risk factors on coronary heart disease and stroke between Black and white adults. Practicum on vaping risk among Maryland high‑school students.
Medical Resident.
Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital · Ile‑Ife, Nigeria
Inpatient and outpatient care; treatment plans; discharge planning; family counseling through diagnoses.
Medical Officer, Nigerian Air Force.
305 Special Mobility Group · Nigerian Air Force Medical Center
Ran the day‑to‑day medical center; treated military personnel and dependents; assisted in surgical procedures; led outreach visits to veterans.
Medical Intern.
Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals · Nigeria
Rotations through internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, and surgery.
Bachelor of Medicine & Surgery (MBChB).
Obafemi Awolowo University · Ile‑Ife, Nigeria
Survey on Ebola Virus Disease knowledge in southwestern Nigeria. Case study on acute ischemic stroke at OAU Teaching Hospital.