[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 48 (Monday, March 13, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13584-13586]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-6082]




[[Page 13583]]

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Part VIII





Department of Health and Human Services





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Public Health Service



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Grants for Centers of Excellence Bilingual and Bicultural Minority Pre-
Faculty Fellowship Program; Notice

  Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 48 / Monday, March 13, 1995 / 
Notices   
[[Page 13584]] 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Public Health Service


Grants for Centers of Excellence (COE) Bilingual and Bicultural 
Minority Pre-Faculty Fellowship Program

AGENCY: Office of Minority Health, HHS.

ACTION: Notice of availability of funds and requests for applications.

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    This demonstration program is to assess whether formal pre-faculty 
development programs will increase underrepresented minorities in 
faculty positions in health professions schools for the purpose of 
incorporating linguistic and culturally appropriate curriculum models.

AUTHORITY: This program will be conducted under the authority of 
section 1707 of the Public Health Service Act, as amended in Public Law 
101-527.

AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS: A total of $650,000 is available for awards in 
FY 1995. It is projected that institutional awards of up to $50,000 per 
fellow will be available to support up to 13 fellows per 12-month 
budget period. Each institution may request up to two fellows for the 
2-year project period; the fellows are to be appointed for 2 years. 
Grant funds may be used for stipend, tuition, fees, and travel, 
inclusive of indirect costs.

OBJECTIVE: To increase the number of minority faculty in health 
professions schools and the number of linguistically and culturally 
competent health professionals to provide care to targeted minority 
populations.

BACKGROUND: The ability of health care providers to deliver services in 
a manner which is both linguistically and culturally appropriate to 
diverse minority populations is critical to achieving equity of access 
to health care. Institutions of higher education, especially in the 
health professions, are pivotal in preparing and training future health 
care providers in the acquisition of appropriate cultural and 
linguistic skills to serve diverse minority populations.
    Data indicate a shortage of full-time faculty from underrepresented 
minority groups in health professions schools. About 4 percent of U.S. 
medical school faculty in 1992 (excluding those at six predominantly 
minority schools) were from underrepresented minority backgrounds. Of 
those, 2.0 percent were African-American, 2.2 percent were Hispanic, 
and 0.1 percent were Native American. The underrepresentation of Asian 
and Pacific Islander subgroups on faculties is similarly acute. The 
data for schools of medicare are quite similar to schools of dentistry, 
pharmacy and other health professions schools.
    Coupled with the paucity of underrepresented minorities on the 
faculty of health professions schools are the barriers faced by 
underrepresented minorities to receiving tenured appointments or 
decisionmaking positions in either the clinical or basic science 
arenas. Lack of opportunity to engage in meaningful research, develop 
teaching competence, engage in effective community service and secure 
the required publications for advancement are among those barriers. 
Others include misunderstandings regarding what is required of them, 
limited mentor guidance needed to surmount the politics of academia, 
and lack of protected time resulting in over-involvement with minority 
student problems and excessive committee assignments as a ``minority 
representative.'' Most significant is the dearth of formal faculty 
development programs within the health professions schools designed to 
optimize achievement of junior minority faculty.
    Major universities and colleges indicate that institutional 
barriers exist to the recruitment, training and retention of junior 
minority faculty. Moreover, one of the critical opportunities for 
intervention in this process is after individuals have completed their 
professional preparation (e.g., Dental School, Medical Specialty 
Residency, etc.) and before they qualify as candidates for an entry 
level junior faculty position.
    This obstacle can be overcome by maximizing retention potential for 
academic careers during this interim period through the offering of 
Faculty Development Fellowships. Such fellowships would be designed to 
help junior minority faculty improve their competence in the following 
areas: Research methodology, development of research grant proposals, 
ability to work with diverse minority populations, teaching 
capabilities, and writing and publication skills. These Faculty 
Development Fellowships would provide the preparation necessary for 
minorities to qualify for faculty appointments and possibly prevent 
them from leaving their academic careers.
    Appreciation and understanding of the language and culture of 
minority communities are critical to effectively providing health care. 
Increased numbers of linguistic and culturally competent minority 
faculty in health professions schools could significantly assist in 
addressing these issues with respect to minority as well as majority 
health care providers. One promising means of attracting greater 
numbers of minorities into academic careers is through Faculty 
Development Fellowships. Through such fellowships, retention in the 
academic arena would be enhanced and research into minority health 
problems and the implications of linguistic and cultural barriers on 
the health of minority populations would be expanded.
    This is an innovative program which will maximize the academic 
career potential of minority individuals who have completed their 
health professions preparation but are not yet competitive as 
candidates for ``new'' junior faculty positions. This will be 
accomplished by preparing such individuals for faculty appointments 
(tenure track or equivalent) in a manner that assures sound academic 
careers; and by developing them in linguistically and culturally 
appropriate competencies relevant to targeted minority populations. 
Ultimately, this program will provide for an increase in the number of 
minority faculty in health professions schools and the number of 
linguistically and culturally competent health professionals to provide 
care to targeted minority populations.

ELIGIBILITY: Only centers of Excellence (COEs) grantees currently 
funded under section 739 of the Public Health Service Act, as amended 
by the Health Professions Education Extension Amendments of 1992, 
Public Law 102-408, are eligible to apply. The COEs are entities in the 
health professions schools known to have the capacity to 
comprehensively address health related language and cultural issues 
among targeted minority populations both within the academic setting 
and in the community. Further, the administrative unit, including 
program staff, and institutional infrastructure is already in place and 
funded through the COE grant to execute the initiative. Applications 
will not be accepted from any other organizations.

PROJECT REQUIREMENTS: Each project funded under this grant program is 
expected to meet the project requirements listed below:
    1. Select Fellows: Identify and recruit individuals who meet the 
following criteria for fellows:
    (A) Be a citizen of the United States, a noncitizen national, or a 
foreign national having in his or her possession a visa (or green card) 
permitting permanent residence in the United States;
    (B) Meet the definition for underrepresented 
minority; [[Page 13585]] 
    (C) Have completed a doctoral level degree in a relevant science in 
a school accredited by a body or bodies approved by the Secretary of 
Education; and
    (D) Plan to complete the grant-supported program and follow an 
academic career in a health professions school.
    2. Prepare Fellows for Faculty Appointments: The health professions 
school pre-faculty development preparation program must be a year-round 
formal fellowship program not to exceed a period of 2 years. To prepare 
fellows for faculty appointments, the fellowship program should include 
at least the following: Enhancement of discipline specific 
competencies; preparation in the areas of education and pedagogical 
skills, academic leadership, research and research methodology, 
research grant preparation/acquisition, administration, and writing for 
publication, and community service.
    3. Develop Linguistic and Culturally Appropriate Competencies: The 
fellowship program should seek to enhance the fellow's own cultural 
competence through delivery of services to minorities that necessitates 
focus on linguistic and cultural health delivery issues and approaches. 
Additional activities would involve but would not be limited to the 
following: Conduct of research in selected priority areas of minority 
health and into the implications of language and cultural issues on the 
health of minority populations; initiation of programs designed to 
increase the numbers and types of health care providers trained to 
serve limited English-speaking populations; and involvement in the 
training of health care providers in cultural competency.
    4. Provide a Mentor: Identify a senior tenured faculty member who 
will provide direct supervision of the fellow and formal ongoing 
mentoring (transfer of knowledge, skills and abilities) relevant to 
advancement in an academic health profession setting.
    5. Engage the Fellows in Research: As part of their preparation, 
fellows must be engaged in research regarding the recognition of 
language and cultural barriers to the provision of health care, 
including services to limited-English-speaking populations and 
development of language and culture curriculum models for health 
professions schools.
    6. Appoint Fellows to Junior Faculty Positions: The institution 
must make a commitment to appoint fellows as junior faculty members 
upon successful completion of the fellowship program and assure salary 
for at least 2 years beyond the fellowship.

DEFINITIONS: For purposes of this grant program the following 
definitions apply:
     Bilingual and Bicultural--a person who has a broad 
knowledge of two languages and the cultures in which they are spoken 
and is able to communicate and deliver the message in the language and 
cultural context in which they are spoken.
     Cultural Competency--a set of academic and interpersonal 
skills that allow individuals to increase their understanding and 
appreciation of cultural differences and similarities within, among, 
and between groups. This requires a willingness and ability to draw on 
community-based values, traditions, and customs and to work with 
knowledgeable persons of and from the community in developing focused 
interventions, communications, and other supports.
     Health Professions Schools--schools of allopathic or 
osteopathic medicine, dentistry and pharmacy.
     Limited English-speaking--individual whose primary 
language is other than English and who must communicate in that 
language if the individual is to have an equal opportunity to 
participate effectively in and benefit from aid, service or benefit 
provided.
     Pre-Faculty Development Program--a formal, systematic 
training program to develop the knowledge, skills and abilities 
necessary to be competitive for junior faculty tenured or equivalent 
positions.
     Stipend--a payment made to an individual under a 
fellowship or training grant in accordance with preestablished levels 
to provide for the individual's living expenses during the period of 
training.
     Underrepresented minority--with respect to a health 
profession, racial and ethnic populations that are underrepresented in 
the health professions relative to the number of individuals who are 
members of the population involved. This definition encompasses Blacks, 
Hispanics, and Native Americans including Native Hawaiians and 
potentially various subpopulations of Asian and Pacific Islander 
individuals. Applicants must provide evidence that any particular 
subgroup of Asian and Pacific Islander individuals is underrepresented 
in a specific discipline.

NATIONAL HEALTH OBJECTIVES FOR THE YEAR 2000: The Public Health Service 
is committed to achieving the health promotion and disease prevention 
objectives of Healthy People 2000, a PHS led national activity for 
setting priority areas. This program is related to the objectives of 
improving access to and availability of primary care services for all 
Americans, especially the underserved populations. Potential applicants 
may obtain a copy of Healthy People 2000 (Full Report; Stock No. 017-
001-00474-0) or Healthy People 2000 (Summary Report; Stock No. 017-001-
00473-1) through the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing 
Office, Washington, D.C. 20402-9325 (Telephone 202-783-3238).

SMOKE-FREE WORKPLACE: The Public Health Service strongly encourages all 
grant recipients to provide a smoke-free workplace and to promote the 
nonuse of all tobacco products. In addition, Public Law 103-227, the 
Pro-Children Act of 1994, prohibits smoking in certain facilities (or 
in some cases, any portion of a facility) in which regular or routine 
education, library, day care, health care or early childhood 
development services are provided to children.

AWARD CRITERIA: Funding decisions will be determined by the Office of 
Minority Health and will be based on the recommendations/ratings of 
review panels, program balance, including geographic and race/ethnicity 
distribution, and health problem area.

REVIEW CRITERIA: The following are criteria for review of applications 
for this program:
    1. The degree to which the proposed project plan meets the project 
requirements.
    2. The degree to which the senior faculty are committed to and 
involved in the training of the fellows:
    3. The extent to which the project systematically evaluates the 
administration of the program and the degree to which program and 
educational objectives are met.
    4. The administrative, management, and resource capability of the 
applicant to carry-out the proposed project in a cost-effective manner.
    5. The potential for the applicant to continue the program without 
Federal support after completion of the approved project period.

APPLICATION REQUESTS: Application form PHS 6025-1 will be mailed to 
currently funded COE grantees. Questions regarding grants policy and 
business management issues should be directed to: Ms. Carolyn A. 
Williams, Grants Management Officer, Office of Minority Health, 
Rockwall II Building, Suite 1000 (10th Floor), 5515 Security Lane, 
Rockville, MD 20852, Telephone: (301) 594-0758 FAX: (301) 443-8280. 
Completed applications should be submitted to the Grants Management 
Office at the above address.
[[Page 13586]]

    If additional programmatic information is needed, please contact: 
Ms. Hazel R. Farrar, Program Analyst, Division of Program Coordination, 
Office of Minority Health, Rockwall II Building, Suite 1000 (10th 
Floor), 5515 Security Lane, Rockville, MD 20852, Telephone: (301) 594-
0769, Fax: (301) 443-8280.

REVIEW OF APPLICATIONS: Applications will be screened upon receipt. 
Those that are judged to be incomplete, nonresponsive or nonconforming 
will be returned without comment. Applications judged to be complete, 
conforming, and responsive will be reviewed for technical merit in 
accordance with PHS policies.
    Applications will be evaluated by Federal reviewers. Applicants are 
advised to pay close attention to program guidelines, and the general 
and supplemental instructions provided in the application kit.
    The deadline date for receipt of applications is (enter 30 days 
from date of publication). Applications will be considered to be ``on 
time'' if they are either:
    (1) Received at the above address on or before the established 
deadline date, or
    (2) Sent on or before the established deadline date and received in 
time for orderly processing. (Applicants should request a legibly dated 
U.S. Postal Service postmark or obtain a legibly dated receipt from a 
commercial carrier or U.S. Postal Service. Private metered postmarks 
shall not be accepted as proof of timely mailing.)
    Late applications will not be accepted for processing and will be 
returned to the applicant.
    This program is not subject to the provisions of Executive Order 
12372, Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs (as implemented 
through 45 CFR part 100) and is not subject to the Public Health System 
Reporting Requirements.
    There is no CFDA number for this program since it is viewed as a 
one-time project.

    Dated: February 22, 1995.
Clay E. Simpson, Jr.,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health.
[FR Doc. 95-6082 Filed 3-10-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-15-M