Keck School of Medicine of USC researchers have been awarded a five-year, $3.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study the risk factors and consequences of vaping nicotine and cannabis among youth and young adults.

The grant will be co-led by Jessica Barrington-Trimis, PhD, MS, MA, an assistant professor of preventive medicine at the Keck School, and Adam Leventhal, PhD, professor of preventive medicine at the Keck School and director of the USC Institute for Addiction Science. The project will involve a survey of about 5,000 youth and young adults in the Los Angeles metropolitan area.

“There remains substantial uncertainty regarding the impact of vaping nicotine and cannabis among youth and young adults,” Barrington-Trimis said. “This study will provide critically needed evidence to policy makers and health practitioners to determine the extent to which vaping should be prioritized in public health programs, and if so, which strategies would be effective in preventing vaping initiation and the potential adverse effects of vaping which may follow.”

— Leigh Hopper