69608 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 229 / Tuesday, November 30, 2004 / Notices 

expires on October 31, 2007. The 

guidance document also refers to 

labeling requirements, annual reporting 

requirements, and other information 

collections established under existing 

regulations. The collections of 

information described in section III of 

the guidance that result from § 809.10 

were approved under OMB control 

number 0910–0485. The collections of 

information described in section III of 

the guidance that result from §§ 610.60, 

610.61, and 610.62 were approved 

under OMB control number 0910–0338. 

The collections of information described 

in section III of the guidance that result 

from part 660 (§§ 660.2, 660.28, 660.35, 

660.45, and 660.55) were approved 

under OMB control number 0910–0527. 

The collections of information described 

in section X of the guidance, regarding 

annual reports, were approved under 

OMB control numbers 0910–0231 and 

0910–0338. The collections of 

information described in section X of 

this guidance, regarding adverse event 

reporting, were approved under OMB 

control numbers 0910–0437 and 0910–

0291.

V. Comments

Interested persons may submit to the 

Division of Dockets Management (see 

ADDRESSES), written or electronic 

comments regarding this document. 

Submit a single copy of electronic 

comments or two paper copies of any 

mailed comments, except that 

individuals may submit one paper copy. 

Comments are to be identified with the 

docket number found in brackets in the 

heading of this document. Received 

comments may be seen in the Division 

of Dockets Management between 9 a.m. 

and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Dated: November 9, 2004.

Linda S. Kahan,

Deputy Director, Center for Devices and 

Radiological Health.

[FR Doc. 04–26333 Filed 11–29–04; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4160–01–S

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

National Institutes of Health 

National Institutes of Health 

Extramural Clinical Research Loan 

Repayment Program for Individuals 

From Disadvantaged Backgrounds

AGENCY: National Institutes of Health, 

HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The National Institutes of 

Health (NIH) and the National Center on 

Minority Health and Health Disparities 

(NCMHD) announce the 2005 

Extramural Clinical Research Loan 

Repayment Program for Individuals 

from Disadvantaged Backgrounds (ECR–

LRP or Program). The ECR–LRP 

provides for the repayment of 

educational loan debt of up to $35,000 

annually for qualified health 

professionals from disadvantaged 

backgrounds conducting clinical 

research for domestic non-profit or 

government entities. In addition, the 

program will cover up to 39 percent of 

the Federal tax liability resulting from 

loan repayments, and may provide 

reimbursement for State and local tax 

liabilities. 

The purpose of the Extramural 

Clinical Research Loan Repayment 

Program for Individuals from 

Disadvantaged Backgrounds is the 

recruitment and retention of highly 

qualified health professionals from 

disadvantaged backgrounds in careers in 

clinical research. Through this notice, 

the NIH and NCMHD invite qualified 

health professionals who are from 

disadvantaged backgrounds and 

interested in engaging in clinical 

research for at least two years, and who 

agree to engage in this area of research 

for at least 50 percent of their time, i.e., 

no less than 20 hours per week, to apply 

for participation in the NIH Extramural 

Clinical Research Loan Repayment 

Program for Individuals from 

Disadvantaged Backgrounds (ECR–LRP).

DATES: Interested persons may request 

information about the Program 

beginning on November 30, 2004.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jerry 

Moore, NIH Regulations Officer, Office 

of Management Assessment, NIH, 6011 

Executive Blvd., Room 601, MSC 7669, 

Rockville, MD 20892, by e-mail: 

Moorej@mail.nih.gov, by fax: 301–402–

0169, or by telephone: 301–496–4607 

(not a toll-free number). For information 

regarding the requirements, application 

deadline dates, and on-line application 

for the ECR–LRP program, please visit 

the NIH Loan Repayment Program Web 

site at http://www.lrp.nih.gov, send an 

e-mail to lrp@nih.gov, call the LRP 

helpline at 866–849–4047 (toll-free 

number) or contact the NCMHD Loan 

Repayment Coordinator, Kenya McRae, 

at 301–402–1366 (not a toll-free 

number) or via e-mail: 

mcraek@mail.nih.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Extramural Clinical Research Loan 

Repayment Program for Individuals 

from Disadvantaged Backgrounds, 

which was originally authorized by 

section 487E of the Public Health 

Service (PHS) Act (42 U.S.C. 288–5), as 

amended by the National Institutes of 

Health Revitalization Act of 1993 (Pub. 

L. 103–43), provides for the repayment 

of the educational loan debt of health 

professionals who are from 

disadvantaged backgrounds, who have 

substantial debt relative to income, and 

who agree to conduct clinical research 

as employees of the NIH. The 

Consolidated Appropriations Act of 

2001 (Pub. L. 106–554) amended section 

487E of the PHS Act to allow expansion 

of the existing program to include 

health professionals who are not 

employees of the National Institutes of 

Health. Under the expanded authority, 

the Secretary of Health and Human 

Services (HHS) in consultation with the 

Director of NIH will enter into contracts 

with qualified health professionals from 

disadvantaged backgrounds under 

which such health professionals agree to 

conduct clinical research; in return, the 

Federal Government agrees to repay for 

each year of such research, up to 

$35,000 of their student loan debt. 

The objective of the ECR–LRP is the 

recruitment and retention of highly 

qualified health professionals from 

disadvantaged backgrounds to clinical 

research careers. The emphasis on 

clinical research and individuals from 

disadvantaged backgrounds highlights 

the need for the involvement of a cadre 

of competent health professionals in 

clinical research. 

‘‘Clinical research’’ as defined in 

section 206 of Pub. L. 106–505, the 

Public Health Improvement Act, 

enacted on November 13, 2000, means 

patient-oriented clinical research 

conducted with human subjects, or 

research on the causes and 

consequences of disease in human 

populations involving material of 

human origin (such as tissue specimens 

and cognitive phenomena) for which an 

investigator or colleague directly 

interacts with human subjects in an 

outpatient or inpatient setting to clarify 

a problem in human physiology, 

pathophysiology or disease, or 

epidemiological or behavioral studies, 

outcomes research or health services 

research, or developing new 

technologies, therapeutic interventions, 

or clinical trials. 

‘‘An individual from a disadvantaged 

background’’ is defined as one who 

comes from a family with an annual 

income below a level based on lowincome thresholds according to family 

size published by the U.S. Bureau of the 

Census, adjusted annually for the 

changes in the Consumer Price Index, 

and adjusted by the Secretary of the U.S. 

Department of Health and Human 

Services (Secretary) for use in all health 

professions programs. The Secretary 

Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 229 / Tuesday, November 30, 2004 / Notices 69609

periodically publishes these income 

levels in the Federal Register. An 

applicant must certify his or her 

disadvantaged status under the above 

definition by submitting (a) a written 

statement from the individual’s former 

health professions school(s) that 

indicates that he or she qualified for 

Federal disadvantaged assistance during 

attendance; or (b) documentation that he 

or she received any financial aid from 

Health Professions Student Loans 

(HPSL) or Loans for Disadvantaged 

Student Program; or (c) documentation 

that he or she received scholarships 

from the U.S. Department of Health and 

Human Services (HHS) under the 

Scholarship for Individuals with 

Exceptional Financial Need. 

Eligibility Criteria 

Specific eligibility criteria for the 

ECR–LRP include the following: 

1. Applicants must be United States 

citizens, nationals, or permanent 

residents; 

2. Applicants must have a Ph.D., 

M.D., D.O., D.D.S., D.M.D., D.P.M., 

Pharm.D., D.C., N.D., or equivalent 

doctoral degree from an accredited 

institution; 

3. Applicants come from a 

disadvantaged background; 

4. Applicants must have total 

qualifying educational debt equal to or 

in excess of 20 percent of their 

institutional base salary at the time of 

award (projected to be between July 1 

and September 1, 2005). Institutional 

base salary is the annual amount the 

organization pays for the individual’s 

appointment, whether the time is spent 

on research, teaching, patient care, or 

other activities. Institutional base salary 

excludes any income that an applicant 

may earn outside of the duties of the 

organization, and may not include or 

comprise any income (salary or wages) 

earned as a Federal employee; 

5. Applicants must conduct qualifying 

research supported by a domestic nonprofit foundation, non-profit 

professional association, or other nonprofit institution, or a U.S. or other 

government agency (Federal, State or 

local). A domestic foundation, 

professional association or institution is 

considered to be non-profit if exempt 

from Federal tax under the provisions of 

Section 501 of the Internal Revenue 

Code (26 U.S.C. 501); 

6. Applicants must engage in 

qualified clinical research for at least 50 

percent of their time, i.e., not less than 

20 hours per week based on a 40-hour 

work week;

7. Full-time employees of Federal 

Government agencies are ineligible to 

apply for LRP benefits. Part-time 

Federal employees who engage in 

qualifying research as part of their nonFederal duties for at least 20 hours per 

week, and whose funding source is from 

a domestic non-profit source as defined 

in subparagraph 4 of this section, are 

eligible to apply for loan repayment if 

they meet all other eligibility 

requirements; 

8. Applicants must agree to conduct 

research for which funding is not 

prohibited by Federal law, regulations, 

or HHS/NIH policy. Recipients who 

receive ECR–LRP awards must conduct 

their research in accordance with 

applicable Federal, State and local law 

(e.g., applicable human subject 

protection regulations) for the entire 

period of time; 

9. Applicants will not be excluded 

from consideration on the basis of age, 

race, culture, religion, gender, sexual 

orientation, disability, or other nonmerit factors; and 

10. No individual may submit more 

than one LRP application to the NIH in 

any fiscal year. Unsuccessful ECR–LRP 

applicants may reapply in subsequent 

fiscal years. 

The following individuals are 

ineligible for participation in the ECR–

LRP: 

1. Persons who are not United States 

citizens, nationals, or permanent 

residents; 

2. Any individual who has a Federal 

judgment lien against his/her property 

arising from a Federal debt is barred 

from receiving Federal funds until the 

judgment is paid in full or satisfied; 

3. Any individual who owes an 

obligation of health professional service 

to the Federal Government, a State, or 

other entity, unless deferrals or 

extensions are granted for the length of 

their Extramural Loan Repayment 

Program service obligation. The 

following are examples of programs 

with service obligations that disqualify 

an applicant from consideration, unless 

a deferral for the length of participation 

in the Loan Repayment Program is 

obtained: 

(a) Armed Forces (Army, Navy, or Air 

Force) Professions Scholarship Program, 

(b) Exceptional Financial Need (EFN) 

Scholarship Program, 

(c) Financial Assistance for 

Disadvantaged Health Professions 

Students (FADHPS), 

(d) Indian Health Service (IHS) 

Scholarship Program, 

(e) National Health Service Corps 

(NHSC) Scholarship Program, 

(f) National Institutes of Health 

Undergraduate Scholarship Program 

(UGSP), 

(g) Physicians Shortage Area 

Scholarship Program, 

(h) Primary Care Loan (PCL) Program, 

(i) Public Health Service (PHS) 

Scholarship Program, and 

(j) National Research Service Award 

(NRSA) Program; 

4. Full-time employees of Federal 

Government agencies. Part-time Federal 

employees who engage in qualifying 

research supported by a domestic nonprofit institution, as part of their nonFederal duties, for an outside entity for 

at least 20 hours per week, based on a 

40-hour work week, are eligible to apply 

for the ECR–LRP if they meet all other 

eligibility requirements; 

5. Current recipients of NIH 

Intramural Research Training Awards 

(IRTA) or Cancer Research Training 

Awards (CRTA); 

6. Individuals conducting research for 

which funding is precluded by Federal 

law, regulations or HHS/NIH policy, or 

that does not comply with applicable 

Federal, State, and local law regarding 

the conduct of the research (e.g., 

applicable human subject protection 

regulations); and 

7. Individuals with ineligible loans, 

which include loans that have been 

consolidated with a loan of another 

individual (including spouses or 

children), or loans that are not 

educational, such as home equity loans. 

Selection Process 

Upon receipt, applications for both 

initial and renewal awards will be 

reviewed for eligibility and 

completeness. Incomplete or ineligible 

applications will not be considered. 

Applications that are complete and 

eligible will be forwarded for peer 

review. In evaluating the application, 

reviewers will be directed to consider 

the following components as they relate 

to the likelihood that the applicant will 

continue in a clinical research career: 

a. Potential of the applicant to pursue 

a career in clinical research: 

• Appropriateness of the applicant’s 

previous training and experience to 

prepare him/her for a clinical research 

career. 

• Suitability of the applicant’s 

proposed clinical research activities in 

the two-year loan repayment period to 

foster a research career. 

• Assessment of the applicant’s 

commitment to a research career as 

reflected by the personal statement of 

long-term career goals and the plan 

outlined to achieve those goals. 

• Strength of recommendations 

attesting to the applicant’s potential for 

a research career. 

b. Quality of the overall environment 

to prepare the applicant for a clinical 

research career: 

69610 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 229 / Tuesday, November 30, 2004 / Notices 

• Availability of appropriate 

scientific colleagues to achieve and/or 

enhance the applicant’s research 

independence. 

• Quality and appropriateness of 

institutional resources and facilities. 

LRP renewal contracts are available 

for one- and two-year periods and are 

based upon the same criteria as the 

initial application plus two additional 

criteria’an assessment of research 

accomplishments and development of 

an individual as an independent 

investigator. An explanation of research 

accomplishments during the initial 

award period is required. Progress 

toward development as an independent 

investigator is a major factor in 

awarding renewal of loan repayment 

support. Renewal LRP awards are 

competitive and submission of a 

renewal application does not ensure the 

award of loan repayment. 

The following information is 

furnished by applicants or others on 

behalf of applicants (forms are 

completed electronically at the LRP 

Web site at http://www.lrp.nih.gov):

Applicants electronically transmit the 

following to the NIH Office of Loan 

Repayment: 

1. Applicant information statement. 

2. Biosketch. 

3. Personal statement, which includes 

a discussion of career goals and 

academic objectives. 

4. Description of research activities, 

which describes the current or proposed 

research project including the specific 

responsibilities and role of the applicant 

in conducting the research. The research 

supervisor or mentor will be asked to 

concur. 

5. Identification of three 

recommenders (one of whom is 

identified as research supervisor or 

mentor). 

6. Identification of Institutional 

Contact. 

7. On-line certification. 

8. Loan information, including 

current account statement(s) and 

promissory note(s) or disclosure 

statement(s) obtained from lending 

institution(s), submitted via facsimile to 

866–849–4046. 

9. If applying based on NIH support, 

Notice of Grant/Award (or PHS Form 

2271 for Ruth L. Kirschstein NRSA 

training fellowships). 

10. Certification of disadvantaged 

background that verifies the applicant’s 

disadvantaged status and consists of one 

of the following: 

a. Written statement from the 

applicant’s former health professions 

school(s) that indicates that the 

applicant qualified for Federal 

disadvantaged assistance during 

attendance; 

b. Documentation that the applicant 

received any of the following financial 

aid: Health Professions Student Loans 

(HPSL) or Loans for Disadvantaged 

Student Program; or 

c. Documentation that the applicant 

received scholarships from the U.S. 

Department of Health and Human 

Services (HHS) under the Scholarship 

for Individuals with Exceptional 

Financial Need. 

Research supervisors or mentors 

electronically transmit the following to 

the NIH Office of Loan Repayment: 

1. Recommendation. 

2. Biosketch. 

3. Assessment of the research 

activities statement submitted by the 

applicant. 

4. Description of the research 

environment, which provides detailed 

information about the lab where the 

applicant is or will be conducting 

research, including funding, lab space, 

and major areas under investigation. 

5. Training or mentoring plan, which 

includes a detailed discussion of the 

training or mentoring plan, including a 

discussion of the research methods and 

scientific techniques to be taught. This 

document is completed by the research 

supervisor or mentor and is submitted 

for all applicants. 

6. Biosketch of any supplemental 

mentors/advisors or laboratory staff 

member if involved in the training and 

mentoring of the applicant. 

The other Recommenders 

electronically transmit recommendation 

forms to the NIH Office of Loan 

Repayment. 

Institutional Contacts electronically 

transmit a certification to the NIH Office 

of Loan Repayment that: 

(a) Assures that the applicant will be 

provided the necessary time and 

resources to engage in the research 

project for two years from the date a 

Loan Repayment Program contract is 

executed; 

(b) Assures that the applicant is or 

will be engaged in qualifying research 

for 50 percent of his/her work effort or 

not less than 20 hours per week based 

on a 40-hour work week; 

(c) Certifies that the sponsoring entity 

is a domestic non-profit institution 

(exempt from tax liability under 26 

U.S.C. 501); and 

(d) Provides the applicant’s 

institutional base salary.

Program Administration and Details 

Under the ECR–LRP, the NIH will 

repay a portion of the extant qualified 

educational loan debt incurred to pay 

for the researcher’s undergraduate, 

graduate, and/or health professional 

school educational expenses. 

The NIH will repay lenders for the 

extant principal, interest, and related 

expenses (such as the required 

insurance premiums on the unpaid 

balances of some loans) of educational 

loans from a U.S. Government entity, an 

academic institution, or a commercial or 

other chartered U.S. lending institution, 

such as banks, credit unions, savings 

and loan associations, not-for-profit 

organizations, insurance companies, 

and other financial or credit institutions 

that are subject to examination and 

supervision in their capacity as lending 

institutions by an agency of the United 

States or of the State in which the 

lender has its principal place of 

business, obtained by participants for 

the following: 

• Undergraduate, graduate, and 

health professional school tuition 

expenses; 

• Other reasonable educational 

expenses required by the school(s) 

attended, including fees, books, 

supplies, educational equipment and 

materials, and laboratory expenses; and 

• Reasonable living expenses, 

including the cost of room and board, 

transportation and commuting costs, 

and other living expenses as determined 

by the Secretary. 

Repayments are made directly to 

lenders, following receipt of (1) the 

Principal Investigator, Program Director, 

or Research Supervisor’s verification of 

completion of the prior period of 

research, and (2) lender verification of 

the crediting of prior loan repayments, 

including the resulting account balances 

and current account status. The NIH 

will repay loans in the following order, 

unless the Secretary determines that 

significant savings would result from a 

different order of priority: 

1. Loans guaranteed by the U.S. 

Department of Health and Human 

Services: 

• Health Education Assistance Loan 

(HEAL); 

• Health Professions Student Loan 

(HPSL); 

• Loans for Disadvantaged Students 

(LDS); and 

• Nursing Student Loan Program 

(NSL); 

2. Loans guaranteed by the U.S. 

Department of Education: 

• Direct Subsidized Stafford Loan; 

• Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan; 

• Direct Consolidation Loan; 

• Perkins Loan; 

• FFEL Subsidized Stafford Loan; 

• FFEL Unsubsidized Stafford Loan; 

and 

• FFEL Consolidation Loan; 

3. Loans made or guaranteed by a 

State, the District of Columbia, the 

Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 229 / Tuesday, November 30, 2004 / Notices 69611

Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or a 

territory or possession of the United 

States; 

4. Loans made by academic 

institutions; and 

5. Private (‘‘Alternative’’) Educational 

Loans: 

• MEDLOANS; and 

• Private (non-guaranteed) 

Consolidation Loans. 

The following loans are not repayable 

under the Clinical Research Loan 

Repayment Program for Individuals 

from Disadvantaged Backgrounds: 

1. Loans not obtained from a U.S. or 

other government entity, an academic 

institution, or a commercial or other 

chartered U.S. lending institution, such 

as loans from friends, relatives, or other 

individuals, and non-educational loans, 

such as home equity loans;

2. Loans for which contemporaneous 

documentation (current account 

statement, and promissory note or 

lender disclosure statement) is not 

available; 

3. Loans that have been consolidated 

with loans of other individuals, such as 

a spouse or child; 

4. Loans or portions of loans obtained 

for educational or living expenses that 

exceed a reasonable level, as determined 

by the standard school budget for the 

year in which the loan was made, and 

are not determined by the LRP to be 

reasonable based on additional 

contemporaneous documentation 

provided by the applicant; 

5. Loans, financial debts, or service 

obligations incurred under the following 

programs, or other programs that incur 

a service obligation that converts to a 

loan on failure to satisfy the service 

obligation: 

• Armed Forces (Army, Navy, or Air 

Force) Health Professions Scholarship 

Program; 

• Indian Health Service (IHS) 

Scholarship Program; 

• National Institutes of Health 

Undergraduate Scholarship Program 

(UGSP); 

• National Research Service Award 

(NRSA) Program; 

• Physicians Shortage Area 

Scholarship Program (Federal or State); 

• Primary Care Loan (PCL) Program; 

and 

• Public Health Service (PHS) and 

National Health Service Corps (NHSC) 

Scholarship Program; 

6. Delinquent loans, loans in default, 

or loans not current in their payment 

schedule; 

7. PLUS Loans; 

8. Loans that have been paid in full; 

and 

9. Loans obtained after the execution 

of the NIH Loan Repayment Program 

Contract (e.g., promissory note signed 

after the LRP contract has been 

awarded) (this provision does not apply 

to qualifying loan consolidations). 

Before the commencement of loan 

repayment, or during lapses in loan 

repayments due to NIH administrative 

complications, Leave Without Pay 

(LWOP), or a break in service, LRP 

participants are wholly responsible for 

making payments or other arrangements 

that maintain loans current, such that 

increases in either principal or interest 

do not occur. The LRP contract period 

will not be modified or extended as a 

result of LWOP or a break in service. 

Penalties assessed participants as a 

result of NIH administrative 

complications to maintain a current 

payment status may not be considered 

for reimbursement. 

LRP payments are not retroactive. 

Loan repayment for fiscal year 2005 will 

commence after a loan repayment 

contract has been executed, which is 

expected to be no earlier than July 2005. 

This program is not subject to the 

provisions of Executive Order 12372, 

Intergovernmental Review of Federal 

Programs. 

This program is subject to OMB 

clearance under the requirements of the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The 

OMB approval of the information 

collection associated with the ECR–LRP 

expires on December 31, 2004. The 

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 

number for the Extramural Clinical 

Research LRP for Individuals from 

Disadvantaged Backgrounds is 93.308.

Dated: November 19, 2004. 

Elias A. Zerhouni, 

Director, NIH.

[FR Doc. 04–26369 Filed 11–29–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4140–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

National Institutes of Health 

Loan Repayment Program for Health 

Disparities Research

AGENCY: National Institutes of Health, 

HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The National Institutes of 

Health (NIH) and the National Center on 

Minority Health and Health Disparities 

(NCMHD) announce the 2005 Loan 

Repayment Program for Health 

Disparities Research (HDR–LRP or 

Program). The HDR–LRP provides for 

the repayment of educational loan debt 

of up to $35,000 annually for qualified 

health professionals conducting 

minority health or other health 

disparities research for domestic nonprofit or government entities. In 

addition, payments equal to 39 percent 

of the loan repayments are issued to the 

Internal Revenue Service on behalf of 

the program participants to offset 

Federal tax liabilities incurred as a 

result of participating in the program. 

The Program may also provide 

reimbursement for State and local tax 

liabilities. 

The purpose of the HDR–LRP is the 

recruitment and retention of highly 

qualified health professionals to 

research careers that focus on minority 

health or other health disparity issues. 

Through this notice, NIH and NCMHD 

invite qualified health professionals 

who contractually agree to engage in 

minority health or other health 

disparities research for at least two 

years, and who agree to engage in this 

area of research for at least 50 percent 

of their time, i.e., not less than 20 hours 

per week, to apply for participation in 

the Loan Repayment Program for Health 

Disparities Research.

DATES: Interested persons may request 

information about the HDR–LRP 

beginning on November 30, 2004.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jerry 

Moore, NIH Regulations Officer, Office 

of Management Assessment, NIH, 6011 

Executive Blvd., Room 601, MSC 7669, 

Rockville, MD 20892, by e-mail: 

Moorej@mail.nih.gov, by fax: 301–402–

0169, or by telephone: 301–496–4607 

(not a toll-free number). For information 

regarding the requirements, application 

deadline dates, and on-line application 

for the HDR–LRP program, please visit 

the NIH Loan Repayment Program Web 

site at http://www.lrp.nih.gov, send an 

e-mail to lrp@nih.gov, call the LRP 

helpline at 866–849–4047 (toll-free 

number) or contact the NCMHD Loan 

Repayment Coordinator, Kenya McRae, 

at 301–402–1366 (not a toll-free 

number) or via e-mail: 

mcraek@mail.nih.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Minority Heath and Health Disparities 

Research and Education Act of 2000 

(Pub. L. 106–525), adds section 485G of 

the PHS Act to allow the Director, 

NCMHD, to enter into contracts for loan 

repayment with appropriately qualified 

health professionals who agree to 

conduct minority health or other health 

disparities research. Under such 

contracts, qualified health professionals 

agree to conduct minority health or 

health disparities research for a 

minimum of two years in consideration 

of the Federal Government agreeing to 

repay, for each year of service, not more 

than $35,000 of the principal and