Dr. Desmond Arthur Jordan MD

Dr. Desmond Arthur Jordan passed away at age 67 while at his home in Hoboken, New Jersey, on November 2, 2020. Born in New York, New York, on June 12, 1953, to Thelma and Victor Jordan and raised in Englewood, New Jersey, “Desi” was a bright and mischievous kid. He grew up with his older sister Ellen surrounded by family and friends including his cousins Kyle, Keris, Alexander, Caroline, Nathan, Debbie, Paula, Mark, Hope, Yvonne, and Vanessa. He excelled in community and school activities, and was an all-star musician and drum major. He transitioned into Dr. Desmond Jordan through an impressive academic journey that included Dwight Morrow High School in Englewood, New Jersey, Cornell University for his undergraduate degree in Ithaca, New York, and Brown University Medical School in Providence, Rhode Island, before going on to become a resident at Harlem Hospital and serving in the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. As a young adult, Dr. Desmond Jordan trained in anesthesiology, critical care medicine, and research at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. He then joined the Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC) Department of Anesthesiology in 1987, the same year his oldest daughter Kristin was born. Dr. Jordan was the first director of the Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit at CUIMC. In 2004 he was named both “Teacher of the Year” for the department of anesthesia and New York-Presbyterian Hospital’s “Doctor of the Year.” His youngest daughter Lauren was born in 1989 and he actively cared for “the girls” all while developing complex protocols for the care of heart and lung transplant patients. He served everyone from the children of Ghana to politicians to celebrities to the families of his medical colleagues with kindness and respect. He donated his time to Doctors Without Borders, Mentoring In Medicine Inc., and to anyone who ever asked for help. He was a beloved educator, an author, a pioneer in bioinformatics and healthcare technology, and a humorous physician with an excellent bedside manner. All who knew Dr. Desmond Jordan will miss his quick wit and his signature side eye. Later in his life he enjoyed returning to his alma maters to proudly watch his children graduate. He continued to grow in his career. His brilliance, humor, and huge heart was treasured by a large circle of family, colleagues, students, and friends. He was beloved. Dr. Desmond Jordan is preceded in death by his parents Thelma and Victor Jordan; his aunt Roberta Myrick; his grandparents Thelma Louise and Robert Bowens; and a number of cousins. He leaves behind his daughters Kristin Jordan and Lauren Jordan (Jeff Newman), his sister Ellen Jordan-Evans (Oliver Evans), his niece Lynette Tiernan (Nicholas Tiernan), his uncles Robert Wilber Bowens Jr. and Dr. Howard Myrick, and his cousins Keris Myrick, Kyle Myrick, Yvonne Mathews, Vanessa Mathews, Paula Dotson, Mark Joseph, Nathan Joseph, Jason Bowens, Randall Bowens, Phillis McCalla, Sandra Coleman, Wanda Sampson, and Brenda Coleman; and a myriad of other family and friends.