# Novel Methods for Evaluating the Association of Electronic Cigarette Use with Cardiovascular Health

> **NIH NIH K01** · BOSTON UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CAMPUS · 2021 · $184,679

## Abstract

Project Summary
This proposed 5-year study brings together Dr. Stokes’ training in population health and research on tobacco
use behaviors with additional training in tobacco regulatory science, cardiovascular (CV) epidemiology,
advanced biostatistics, and applied data science. To this end, Dr. Stokes has assembled a multidisciplinary
team of mentors and advisors to aid his training and studies. The K01 will support a complementary set of
training activities, including formal coursework, participation in the Early Career Faculty Development Program,
the NIH-funded Clinical and Translational Science Institute sponsored K-to-R PRIME program, and strong
mentorship from experts in relevant fields, to help him in his professional development and transition to
independence. Population-based evidence on the CV effects of e-cigarette use is sparse, and the particular
components of e-cigarette aerosols that may be responsible for CV harm remain poorly elucidated. The
proposed research will integrate state-of-the-art causal inference methods, mediation analyses, and
unsupervised data clustering approaches with the study of CV effects of e-cigarette use. The applicant will 1)
examine the association of e-cigarette use and product transitions with incident CV events; 2) estimate
associations of e-cigarette use with risk factors and preclinical biomarkers of CV injury, and analyze
biomarkers of exposure as potential mediators; and 3) identify unique biomarker signatures of e-cigarette
exposure using a data-driven clustering approach, and associate clusters with preclinical biomarkers of CV
injury. With high quality population data and novel statistical methods to optimally control for cigarette smoking
and other tobacco product use, the results of this project will provide timely and rigorous evidence on the CV
effects of e-cigarette use. Together with evaluating the mediating role of exposure biomarkers and clustered e-
cigarette use behavior patterns, the results will inform Food and Drug Administration regulatory standards for
product safety and guide primary and secondary public health interventions that aim to reduce tobacco-related
CV harm. The methods and findings will also inform future studies focused on other non-cigarette tobacco
products, such as little cigars, cigarillos, and smokeless tobacco products. The additional training and
protected time afforded by the K01 will aid Dr. Stokes in making his transition to an independent investigator
capable of securing R-series NIH funding.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10227805
- **Project number:** 5K01HL154130-02
- **Recipient organization:** BOSTON UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CAMPUS
- **Principal Investigator:** Andrew Stokes
- **Activity code:** K01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $184,679
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-08-01 → 2025-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10227805

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10227805, Novel Methods for Evaluating the Association of Electronic Cigarette Use with Cardiovascular Health (5K01HL154130-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10227805. Licensed CC0.

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