[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 131 (Wednesday, October 18, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10718-S10721]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. HARKIN:
  S. 3215. A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize 
women's health research award programs conducted through the National 
Institutes of Health; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
Pensions.


             women's health research career enhancement act

  Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, I am pleased to introduce today the 
Women's Health Research Career Enhancement Act of 2000. This 
legislation addresses a critical shortage of qualified clinician 
researchers available to investigate the diseases and conditions that 
primarily affect women.
  As the brother of two sisters lost to breast cancer and the father of 
two daughters, I know first-hand the importance of making women's 
health initiatives a top priority. More can and must be done to 
guarantee that women have the quality care they deserve. This includes 
making sure that qualified researchers are out there leading the search 
for cures and treatments.
  In 1985, the United States Public Health Task Force on Women's Health 
Issues concluded that women's health care was getting short shrift by 
the lack of research focus on women's health concerns. Since then we 
have made good progress to expand women's health research, but more 
needs to be done.
  In 1990, the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) found that the 
National Institutes of Health (NIH) had been slow and ineffective in 
implementing a policy to include women in research study populations. 
At the urging of myself and others, and in response to passage of the 
NIH Revitalization Act of 1993, the NIH began to take more 
comprehensive measures to increase research on health problems 
affecting women.

[[Page S10720]]

  And more recently, at my request, along with Senators Olympia Snowe 
and Barbara Mikulski, and Representative Harry Waxman (D-CA), the GAO 
published a report last May assessing the NIH's progress on conducting 
research on women's health in the past decade. The GAO's report found 
that while NIH has made significant progress in implementing a 
strengthened policy on including women in clinical research, they have 
failed to fully analyze clinical data on women's health.
  It is clear we can and must do more to advance a comprehensive 
women's health agenda.
  A growing body of evidence is emerging that demonstrates significant 
differences between men and women and how they get sick and how they 
react to potential treatments. Women and men metabolize food, alcohol, 
medication and environmental toxins differently.
  And certain diseases and conditions disproportionately affect women. 
For example, women comprise 80% of those suffering from osteoporosis. 
Seventy-five percent of those afflicted with autoimmune diseases are 
women. And although we have made significant progress, we are still 
fighting the terrible epidemic of breast cancer in this country, a 
disease that strikes 1 out of every 8 American women.
  Women everywhere will benefit through more and better scientific 
research on the diseases and conditions that affect them. And our 
scientific enterprise will reap maximum returns when it involves teams 
of investigators with expertise in various disciplines. A 
comprehensive, targeted approach is necessary to develop a multi-
disciplinary cadre of researchers with the interest and expertise to 
broaden the field of women's health research.
  In addition, mentoring between junior and senior scientists is 
important to promoting an inclusive and diverse research environment. 
Mentoring relationships can lead to the retention and advancement of 
talented scientists from all segments of the population and enhance our 
investment in medical research.
  Mr. President, my legislation authorizes two important initiatives to 
expand the number of qualified investigators in women's health research 
by providing improved career development opportunities through the 
National Institutes of Health (NIH):
  First, the Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's 
Health Program--will support the career development of junior women's 
health scientists by providing new opportunities to improve their 
research skills in interdisciplinary settings. The NIH, through the 
Office of Research on Women's Health, will provide grants to research 
institutions to pair junior investigators with seasoned senior 
investigators, who will mentor them for 2-5 years.
  Second, the Women's Reproductive Health Research Career Development 
Centers--will help build the next generation of investigators in 
obstetrics and gynecology by giving clinicians the experience they need 
to become women's health scientists. The NIH, through the National 
Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the Office of 
Research on Women's Health, will provide grants to research 
institutions and hospitals for the training of new women's health 
researchers.
  The Women's Reproductive Health Research Career Development Centers 
program and the Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's 
Health grant program have already stimulated women's health research 
across a variety of disciplines. Authorizing and expanding these 
programs will speed breakthroughs in women's health research by 
building and improving the network of scientific investigators expert 
in the diseases and conditions that affect women.
  Mr. President, I have a long tradition of supporting research and 
specifically women's health research both as Chairman and now Ranking 
Member of the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services and Education 
Appropriations Subcommittee. This year we will provide an 
unprecedented, $2.7 billion increase for the National Institutes of 
Health, keeping us well on track towards our goal of doubling the NIH 
budget over 5 years.
  But all the funding in the world will do us no good if we don't have 
talented investigators ready and able to take on the challenge of 
finding the cures and treatments for the diseases that afflict us. We 
must do more to make sure we grow and strengthen a diverse network of 
our best and brightest clinicians and scientists to keep pace with our 
increased investment in medical research. The bill I am introducing 
today will help to do just that. It has the support of the National 
Institutes of Health, the Society for Women's Health Research, the 
Women's Health Research Coalition and the American College of 
Obstetricians and Gynecologists. I urge my colleagues to support this 
important legislation. I ask unanimous consent that the text of the 
bill be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                S. 3215

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Women's Health Research 
     Career Enhancement Act of 2000''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress makes the following findings:
       (1) The Public Health Service's Task Force on Women's 
     Health Issues concluded in 1985 that women's health care was 
     compromised by the lack of research focus on women's health 
     concerns. Since then, progress has been made to expand 
     women's health research, but more can be done to strengthen 
     our nation's capacity to aggressively investigate the 
     diseases and conditions primarily affecting women.
       (2) A growing body of evidence demonstrates dramatic 
     differences between women's and men's biology, including 
     symptoms of disease, mechanism of disease and responses to 
     treatment.
       (3) Women and men differ in disease presentation and 
     treatment outcomes of coronary heart disease. Women comprise 
     80 percent of the population suffering from osteoporosis. 
     Women comprise 75 percent of those afflicted with autoimmune 
     diseases. Women and men metablolize food, alcohol, 
     medication, and atmospheric toxins differently.
       (4) Scientific research will reap maximum returns when it 
     involves teams of investigators with expertise in various 
     disciplines. A comprehensive, targeted effort is necessary to 
     develop a multi-disciplinary cadre of researchers with the 
     interest and expertise to develop the field of gender based 
     health research so that it has the greatest impact on all 
     women and men.
       (5) Mentoring between junior and senior scientists is 
     vitally important to promoting an inclusive and diverse 
     research environment, leading to the retention and 
     advancement of talented scientists from all segments of the 
     population and enhancing the nation's investment in 
     treatments and cures for the diseases and conditions that 
     affect Americans.
       (6) The Women's Reproductive Health Research Career 
     Development Centers and the Building Interdisciplinary 
     Research Careers in Women's Health grant programs have 
     stimulated women's health research across a variety of 
     disciplines.
       (7) Expanding the initiatives described in paragraph (6) 
     will speed breakthroughs in women's health research by 
     building and improving the network of scientific 
     investigators who are experts in the diseases and conditions 
     that affect women.

     SEC. 3. BUILDING INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH CAREERS IN 
                   WOMEN'S HEALTH.

       Part A of title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 
     U.S.C. 241 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the 
     following:

     ``SEC. 310A. BUILDING INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH CAREERS IN 
                   WOMEN'S HEALTH.

       ``(a) Purpose.--It is the purpose of the section to provide 
     funding to enable the Director of the Office of Research on 
     Women's Health, in coordination with the Director of the 
     National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and 
     other Institutes and centers of the National Institutes of 
     Health, to carry out the Building Interdisciplinary Research 
     Careers in Women's Health program (as authorized under 
     section 301) to support the career development of scientists 
     who are commencing basic, translational, clinical, behavioral 
     or health services research relevant to women's health in an 
     interdisciplinary scientific setting.
       ``(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are 
     authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary 
     for each of fiscal years 2001 through 2006 to enable the 
     Director of the Office of Research on Women's Health to carry 
     out program described in subsection (a).
       ``(c) Requirements for Grants.--
       ``(1) Eligibility.--In making awards under the program 
     described in subsection (a), the Director of the Office of 
     Research on Women's Health, acting through the Director of 
     the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development 
     and other Institutes and centers of the National Institutes 
     of Health, shall, with respect to an institution, consider--
       ``(A) domestic profit and nonprofit, non-Federal, public or 
     private organizations;

[[Page S10721]]

       ``(B) the extent to which the institution has the clinical 
     specialities and subspecialities, and the clinical and 
     research facilities, sufficient to meet the objective of the 
     program of bridging clinical or post-doctoral training with a 
     career in interdisciplinary research relevant to women's 
     health; and
       ``(C) other factors determined appropriate by the 
     Directors.
       ``(2) Rule of construction.--With respect to the program 
     described in subsection (a), nothing in this subsection shall 
     be construed to prohibit the application by the Director of 
     the Office of Research on Women's Health of eligibility or 
     other requirements, including requirements applied to 
     applicants under such program in the fiscal year prior to the 
     date of enactment of this section.''.

     SEC. 3. WOMEN'S REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RESEARCH CAREER 
                   DEVELOPMENT CENTERS.

       Part A of title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 
     U.S.C. 241 et seq.), as amended by section 3, is further 
     amended by adding at the end the following:

     ``SEC. 310B. WOMEN'S REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RESEARCH CAREER 
                   DEVELOPMENT CENTERS.

       ``(a) Purpose.--It is the purpose of this section to 
     provide for the funding of Women's Reproductive Health 
     Research Career Development Centers to enable the Director of 
     the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, 
     in collaboration with the Director of the National Institutes 
     of Health, to--
       ``(1) assist in improving the health of women and infants 
     by training new researchers in reproductive health science;
       ``(2) address concerns raised in a recent study by the 
     National Research Council about the declining number of 
     physician-investigators; and
       ``(3) provide newly trained obstetric-gynecologic 
     clinicians with training and support, through the Women's 
     Reproductive Health Research Career Development Centers, to 
     assist in such clinicians in their pursuit of research 
     careers to address problems in women's obstetric and 
     gynecologic health.
       ``(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are 
     authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary 
     for each of fiscal years 2001 through 2006 to enable the 
     Director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human 
     Development to fund Women's Reproductive Health Research 
     Career Development Centers for the purposes described in 
     subsection (a).
       ``(c) Rule of Construction.--With respect to the program 
     described in subsection (a), nothing in this section shall be 
     construed to prohibit the application by the Director of the 
     National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of 
     eligibility or other requirements, including requirements 
     applied to applicants under such program, in the fiscal year 
     prior to the date of enactment of this section.''.
                                 ______