§ 287c-31. Purpose of Center

(a) In general

The general purpose of the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (in this subpart referred to as the “Center”) is the conduct and support of research, training, dissemination of information, and other programs with respect to minority health conditions and other populations with health disparities.

(b) Priorities

The Director of the Center shall in expending amounts appropriated under this subpart give priority to conducting and supporting minority health disparities research.

For purposes of this subpart:

(1) The term “minority health disparities research” means basic, clinical, and behavioral research on minority health conditions (as defined in paragraph (2)), including research to prevent, diagnose, and treat such conditions.

(2) The term “minority health conditions”, with respect to individuals who are members of minority groups, means all diseases, disorders, and conditions (including with respect to mental health and substance abuse)—

(A) unique to, more serious, or more prevalent in such individuals;

(B) for which the factors of medical risk or types of medical intervention may be different for such individuals, or for which it is unknown whether such factors or types are different for such individuals; or

(C) with respect to which there has been insufficient research involving such individuals as subjects or insufficient data on such individuals.

(3) The term “minority group” has the meaning given the term “racial and ethnic minority group” in section 300u–6 of this title.

(4) The terms “minority” and “minorities” refer to individuals from a minority group.

(d) Health disparity populations

For purposes of this subpart:

(1) A population is a health disparity population if, as determined by the Director of the Center after consultation with the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, there is a significant disparity in the overall rate of disease incidence, prevalence, morbidity, mortality, or survival rates in the population as compared to the health status of the general population.

(2) The Director shall give priority consideration to determining whether minority groups qualify as health disparity populations under paragraph (1).

(3) The term “health disparities research” means basic, clinical, and behavioral research on health disparity populations (including individual members and communities of such populations) that relates to health disparities as defined under paragraph (1), including the causes of such disparities and methods to prevent, diagnose, and treat such disparities.

(e) Coordination of activities

The Director of the Center shall act as the primary Federal official with responsibility for coordinating all minority health disparities research and other health disparities research conducted or supported by the National Institutes of Health, and—

(1) shall represent the health disparities research program of the National Institutes of Health, including the minority health disparities research program, at all relevant Executive branch task forces, committees and planning activities; and

(2) shall maintain communications with all relevant Public Health Service agencies, including the Indian Health Service, and various other departments of the Federal Government to ensure the timely transmission of information concerning advances in minority health disparities research and other health disparities research between these various agencies for dissemination to affected communities and health care providers.

(f) Collaborative comprehensive plan and budget

(1) In general

Subject to the provisions of this section and other applicable law, the Director of NIH, the Director of the Center, and the directors of the other agencies of the National Institutes of Health in collaboration (and in consultation with the advisory council for the Center) shall—

(A) establish a comprehensive plan and budget for the conduct and support of all minority health disparities research and other health disparities research activities of the agencies of the National Institutes of Health (which plan and budget shall be first established under this subsection not later than 12 months after November 22, 2000);

(B) ensure that the plan and budget establish priorities among the health disparities research activities that such agencies are authorized to carry out;

(C) ensure that the plan and budget establish objectives regarding such activities, describes the means for achieving the objectives, and designates the date by which the objectives are expected to be achieved;

(D) ensure that, with respect to amounts appropriated for activities of the Center, the plan and budget give priority in the expenditure of funds to conducting and supporting minority health disparities research;

(E) ensure that all amounts appropriated for such activities are expended in accordance with the plan and budget;

(F) review the plan and budget not less than annually, and revise the plan and budget as appropriate;

(G) ensure that the plan and budget serve as a broad, binding statement of policies regarding minority health disparities research and other health disparities research activities of the agencies, but do not remove the responsibility of the heads of the agencies for the approval of specific programs or projects, or for other details of the daily administration of such activities, in accordance with the plan and budget; and

(H) promote coordination and collaboration among the agencies conducting or supporting minority health or other health disparities research.

(2) Certain components of plan and budget

With respect to health disparities research activities of the agencies of the National Institutes of Health, the Director of the Center shall ensure that the plan and budget under paragraph (1) provide for—

(A) basic research and applied research, including research and development with respect to products;

(B) research that is conducted by the agencies;

(D) proposals developed pursuant to solicitations by the agencies and for proposals developed independently of such solicitations; and

(E) behavioral research and social sciences research, which may include cultural and linguistic research in each of the agencies.

(3) Minority health disparities research

The plan and budget under paragraph (1) shall include a separate statement of the plan and budget for minority health disparities research.

(g) Participation in clinical research

The Director of the Center shall work with the Director of NIH and the directors of the agencies of the National Institutes of Health to carry out the provisions of section 289a–2 of this title that relate to minority groups.

(h) Research endowments

(1) In general

The Director of the Center may carry out a program to facilitate minority health disparities research and other health disparities research by providing for research endowments at centers of excellence under section 293 of this title.

(2) Eligibility

The Director of the Center may provide for a research endowment under paragraph (1) only if the institution involved meets the following conditions:

(A) The institution does not have an endowment that is worth in excess of an amount equal to 50 percent of the national average of endowment funds at institutions that conduct similar biomedical research or training of health professionals.

(B) The application of the institution under paragraph (1) regarding a research endowment has been recommended pursuant to technical and scientific peer review and has been approved by the advisory council under subsection (j) of this section.

(i) Certain activities

In carrying out subsection (a) of this section, the Director of the Center—

(1) shall assist the Director of the National Center for Research Resources in carrying out section 287a–1 (c)(3) ^[1] of this title and in committing resources for construction at Institutions of Emerging Excellence;

(2) shall establish projects to promote cooperation among Federal agencies, State, local, tribal, and regional public health agencies, and private entities in health disparities research; and

(3) may utilize information from previous health initiatives concerning minorities and other health disparity populations.

(j) Advisory council

(1) In general

The Secretary shall, in accordance with section 284a of this title, establish an advisory council to advise, assist, consult with, and make recommendations to the Director of the Center on matters relating to the activities described in subsection (a) of this section, and with respect to such activities to carry out any other functions described in section 284a of this title for advisory councils under such section. Functions under the preceding sentence shall include making recommendations on budgetary allocations made in the plan under subsection (f) of this section, and shall include reviewing reports under subsection (k) of this section before the reports are submitted under such subsection.

(2) Membership

With respect to the membership of the advisory council under paragraph (1), a majority of the members shall be individuals with demonstrated expertise regarding minority health disparity and other health disparity issues; representatives of communities impacted by minority and other health disparities shall be included; and a diversity of health professionals shall be represented. The membership shall in addition include a representative of the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research under section 283c of this title.

[1] So in original. Section 287a–1 of this title does not contain subsections.

U.S. Code

§ 287c-31. Purpose of Center