Judith Persichelli, RN and First RN NJDOH Commissioner, Leads Vape Task Force

Acting state Department of Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli—who chairs the Electronic Smoking Device Task Force—told the task force’s members their mission is urgent as use of e-cigarettes and vapes has “skyrocketed” since they were introduced on the U.S. market more than a decade ago.

Health experts are now investigating how these devices might be connected to hundreds of cases of mysterious lung illnesses nationwide, including nearly two dozen in the Garden State.