When it came time for Kelly Vazquez to choose a topic for her master's thesis as a graduate nursing student at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), all she had to do was draw on her previous experience working as a nurse in a cancer care facility. "Every day, I'd have several patients ask me about electronic nicotine delivery devices: Are they better for me? Can they help me quit smoking?" says the Sylacauga, Ala., native. "So that's where the idea came from. I realized they were getting more popular, and that I needed to find out more so I could have conversations about them with my patients." In fact, the use of electronic nicotine delivery devices – also known as vaporizers or e-cigarettes – has been steadily increasing over the last 10 years, with usage rising the fastest among young adults. And yet despite this, as Vazquez discovered, very little is known about the possible health risks from either short- or long-term use of these devices. "While the research has increased over the last decade," she says, "it's still not as widespread compared to traditional cigarettes."