Juul Labs is sponsoring independent research on the impact of electronic cigarettes and vaping devices through a $7.5 million grant to a Nashville medical college.

Meharry Medical College, the nation's largest private, independent, historically black academic health sciences center, announced last week it will launch a new Center for the Study of Social Determinants of Health.

The center will examine the social factors that influence public health and well-being related to the emerging prevalence of e-cigarettes.

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The study will be funded by Juul Labs, a big name in the vaping industry that has come under intense scrutiny amid accusations that it targets youth with its advertising.

“The grant from JUUL Labs gives Meharry the unique opportunity to take the lead on a new line of fully independent research in this critical area of public health,” said Meharry President and CEO Dr. James E.K. Hildreth.

He added that issues around smoking disproportionately impact the African American population.

It is the first time Juul Labs has provided a grant for the establishment of an independent research center.

"As we’ve long said, there are many questions about the health impact of vapor products, and JUUL products in particular, that only a robust body of public health research can start to answer," JUUL said in a company statement. "We are committed to contributing to and supporting independent and peer-reviewed scientific research programs that assess the harm-reduction potential of JUUL products, including their impact on the individual user, their ability to switch adult smokers from combustible cigarettes, and the net-population impact on public health."