Austin raced in, holding his bloodied jaw. An e-cigarette had exploded in his mouth.

Black people in the United States have a higher death rate from tobacco-related illnesses than other racial and ethnic groups. Research into the health effects of tobacco products, including newer nicotine-delivery systems like Juul’s popular vaping devices, was to be the first order of study for the new center.

The cause was mouth cancer, his brother Robert said.