Jessica L. Fetterman, PhD

Assistant Professor, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Biography

Jessica L. Fetterman, PhD, FAHA is a basic and translational scientist studying the intersections of mitochondrial physiology, mitochondrial genetic epidemiology, and cardiovascular disease. Her work focuses on the contribution of mitochondrial genetic variation and abnormalities to cardiovascular disease in the presence of risk factors, including tobacco product use and diabetes.

Using bioinformatics methods, Dr. Fetterman discovered that several select mitochondrial genetic variants are associated with non-invasive measures of vascular function within the Framingham Heart Study (FHS). Additionally, she has applied similar methodology to select mitochondrial single variant data within Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology (CHARGE) to determine the associations of select mitochondrial genetic variants with cardiometabolic measures in collaboration with members of the mitochondrial genetics working group. Recently, Dr. Fetterman was awarded the competitive Trans-Omics Precision Medicine (TOPMed) Analytical Support Award for early career investigators to perform comprehensive bioinformatic annotation of the mitochondrial genetic variants within the TOPMed cohorts.

Dr. Fetterman also conducts research on the impact of new and emerging tobacco products on the vasculature, particularly studies designed to inform tobacco product regulation. Some of her recent work demonstrated that tobacco product flavoring additives induce vascular endothelial dysfunction, an early indicator of cardiovascular injury. She serves as an Associate Director of Education and Training within American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center. Additionally, she is the Director for the Boston University Tobacco Regulatory Science Affinity Research Collaborative, which is designed to bring together multi-disciplinary teams of scientists within Boston University to increase our understanding of tobacco product use patterns and the impact of new and emerging tobacco products on human health and disease.

Publications

  • Published 3/25/2025

    Vasquez JH, Yuan J, Leow CJ, Crossey E, Shao F, Carty S, Dominguez VA, Lo M, Mizgerd JP, Fetterman JL, Lau NC, Fine A, Jones MR. Somatic Miwi2 modulates mitochondrial function in airway multiciliated cells and exacerbates influenza pathogenesis. iScience. 2025 Apr 18; 28(4):112291. PMID: 40241756.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 2/6/2025

    Jebai R, Hong T, Ranker LR, Wu J, Rohila A, Fetterman JL, Cornacchione Ross J. Social Media Engagement and Quit Intentions among Youth with Exclusive E-cigarette Use: The Moderating Role of Social Norms. Nicotine Tob Res. 2025 Feb 06. PMID: 39912206.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 2/5/2025

    Cooper LL, Majid S, Wang N, Fetterman JL, Palmisano JN, Benjamin EJ, Vasan RS, Mitchell GF, Hamburg NM. Cross-sectional and longitudinal associations of smoking behaviour with central arterial haemodynamic measures: the Framingham Heart Study. Eur J Prev Cardiol. 2025 Feb 05. PMID: 39907713.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 1/14/2025

    Moreira-Bouchard JD, Roberts LM, Silva V, Nessen EJ, Smith KK, Streed CG, Fetterman JL. Enhancing student understanding of cardiovascular disease burden in marginalized communities in the physiology classroom. Adv Physiol Educ. 2025 Mar 01; 49(1):230-239. PMID: 39809469.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 12/15/2024

    Pinheiro A, Petty CA, Stephens CE, Cabrera K, Palanques-Tost E, Gower AC, Marano M, Leviss EM, Boberg MJ, Mahendran J, Bock PM, Fetterman JL, Naya FJ. The Dlk1-Dio3 noncoding RNA cluster coordinately regulates mitochondrial respiration and chromatin structure to establish proper cell state for muscle differentiation. Development. 2024 Dec 15; 151(24). PMID: 39612212.

    Read at: PubMed

View All 74 Publications:   View Full Profile in BUMC

Other Positions

  • Investigator
    Framingham Heart Study
  • Member, Whitaker Cardiovascular Institute
    Boston University
  • Member, Evans Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research
    Boston University

Websites

Education

  • University of Alabama at Birmingham, PhD
  • Ohio Wesleyan University, BA

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