Josh Mercadel
Biographical information:
I am from New Orleans, Louisiana and my hobbies include video games, watching sports
and cooking/grilling. I choose USC as my place of education long ago. I completed
my undergraduate and master’s degree at this university. USC is home for me, and I
love the faculty and opportunities this department has to offer. A fun fact about
me is that I have aspirations to become an EIS fellow with the CDC post-graduation.
I’m always willing to discuss epidemiology questions and thoughts or answers any questions
someone has regarding life as a graduate student or life in Columbia, SC. We all have
experiences to share that can help us grow and I’m willing to share my experiences
should it benefit another.
Research interests:
I am interested in cardiovascular disease risk factors, racial disparities in overall
health and how culture can play a role in overall health.
Thesis/Dissertation:
Thesis: My thesis topic involved a clinical trial that trained individuals to take
control of their autonomic nervous system through paced breathing. My outcome in this
study was how sleep can be improved based on receiving this intervention. We found
that individuals improved perceived overall sleep quality as well as their total amount
of sleep per night.
Dissertation: I am a 1st year PhD student and have not begun work on my project. However
I am considering some of my research interest as a possible avenue of exploration.