II

106TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION S. 3215

To amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize women’s health

research award programs conducted through the National Institutes of Health.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

OCTOBER 18 (legislative day, SEPTEMBER 22), 2000

Mr. HARKIN introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred

to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

A BILL

To amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize women’s health research award programs conducted through

the National Institutes of Health.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Women’s Health Re5 search Career Enhancement Act of 2000’’.

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

7 Congress makes the following findings:

8 (1) The Public Health Service’s Task Force on

9 Women’s Health Issues concluded in 1985 that

10 women’s health care was compromised by the lack of
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1 research focus on women’s health concerns. Since

2 then, progress has been made to expand women’s

3 health research, but more can be done to strengthen

4 our nation’s capacity to aggressively investigate the

5 diseases and conditions primarily affecting women.

6 (2) A growing body of evidence demonstrates

7 dramatic differences between women’s and men’s bi8 ology, including symptoms of disease, mechanism of

9 disease and responses to treatment.

10 (3) Women and men differ in disease presen11 tation and treatment outcomes of coronary heart

12 disease. Women comprise 80 percent of the popu13 lation suffering from osteoporosis. Women comprise

14 75 percent of those afflicted with autoimmune dis15 eases. Women and men metablolize food, alcohol,

16 medication, and atmospheric toxins differently.

17 (4) Scientific research will reap maximum re18 turns when it involves teams of investigators with

19 expertise in various disciplines. A comprehensive,

20 targeted effort is necessary to develop a multi-dis21 ciplinary cadre of researchers with the interest and

22 expertise to develop the field of gender based health

23 research so that it has the greatest impact on all

24 women and men.
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1 (5) Mentoring between junior and senior sci2 entists is vitally important to promoting an inclusive

3 and diverse research environment, leading to the re4 tention and advancement of talented scientists from

5 all segments of the population and enhancing the

6 nation’s investment in treatments and cures for the

7 diseases and conditions that affect Americans.

8 (6) The Women’s Reproductive Health Re9 search Career Development Centers and the Build10 ing Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s

11 Health grant programs have stimulated women’s

12 health research across a variety of disciplines.

13 (7) Expanding the initiatives described in para14 graph (6) will speed breakthroughs in women’s

15 health research by building and improving the net16 work of scientific investigators who are experts in

17 the diseases and conditions that affect women.

18 SEC. 3. BUILDING INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH CA19 REERS IN WOMEN’S HEALTH.

20 Part A of title III of the Public Health Service Act

21 (42 U.S.C. 241 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end

22 the following:
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1 ‘‘SEC. 310A. BUILDING INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH CA2 REERS IN WOMEN’S HEALTH.

3 ‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of the section to

4 provide funding to enable the Director of the Office of Re5 search on Women’s Health, in coordination with the Di6 rector of the National Institute of Child Health and

7 Human Development and other Institutes and centers of

8 the National Institutes of Health, to carry out the Build9 ing Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health

10 program (as authorized under section 301) to support the

11 career development of scientists who are commencing

12 basic, translational, clinical, behavioral or health services

13 research relevant to women’s health in an interdisciplinary

14 scientific setting.

15 ‘‘(b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There

16 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be

17 necessary for each of fiscal years 2001 through 2006 to

18 enable the Director of the Office of Research on Women’s

19 Health to carry out the program described in subsection

20 (a).

21 ‘‘(c) REQUIREMENTS FOR GRANTS.—

22 ‘‘(1) ELIGIBILITY.—In making awards under

23 the program described in subsection (a), the Direc24 tor of the Office of Research on Women’s Health,

25 acting through the Director of the National Institute

26 of Child Health and Human Development and other
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1 Institutes and centers of the National Institutes of

2 Health, shall, with respect to an institution,

3 consider—

4 ‘‘(A) domestic for-profit and nonprofit,

5 non-Federal, public or private organizations;

6 ‘‘(B) the extent to which the institution

7 has the clinical specialities and subspecialities,

8 and the clinical and research facilities, suffi9 cient to meet the objective of the program of

10 bridging clinical or post-doctoral training with a

11 career in interdisciplinary research relevant to

12 women’s health; and

13 ‘‘(C) other factors determined appropriate

14 by the Directors.

15 ‘‘(2) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—With respect

16 to the program described in subsection (a), nothing

17 in this subsection shall be construed to prohibit the

18 application by the Director of the Office of Research

19 on Women’s Health of eligibility or other require20 ments, including requirements applied to applicants

21 under such program in the fiscal year prior to the

22 date of enactment of this section.’’.
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1 SEC. 3. WOMEN’S REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RESEARCH CA2 REER DEVELOPMENT CENTERS.

3 Part A of title III of the Public Health Service Act

4 (42 U.S.C. 241 et seq.), as amended by section 3, is fur5 ther amended by adding at the end the following:

6 ‘‘SEC. 310B. WOMEN’S REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RESEARCH

7 CAREER DEVELOPMENT CENTERS.

8 ‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of this section to

9 provide for the funding of Women’s Reproductive Health

10 Research Career Development Centers to enable the Di11 rector of the National Institute of Child Health and

12 Human Development, in collaboration with the Director

13 of the National Institutes of Health, to—

14 ‘‘(1) assist in improving the health of women

15 and infants by training new researchers in reproduc16 tive health science;

17 ‘‘(2) address concerns raised in a recent study

18 by the National Research Council about the declin19 ing number of physician-investigators; and

20 ‘‘(3) provide newly trained obstetric-gynecologic

21 clinicians with training and support, through the

22 Women’s Reproductive Health Research Career De23 velopment Centers, to assist in such clinicians in

24 their pursuit of research careers to address problems

25 in women’s obstetric and gynecologic health.
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1 ‘‘(b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There

2 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be

3 necessary for each of fiscal years 2001 through 2006 to

4 enable the Director of the National Institute of Child

5 Health and Human Development to fund Women’s Repro6 ductive Health Research Career Development Centers for

7 the purposes described in subsection (a).

8 ‘‘(c) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—With respect to the

9 program described in subsection (a), nothing in this sec10 tion shall be construed to prohibit the application by the

11 Director of the National Institute of Child Health and

12 Human Development of eligibility or other requirements,

13 including requirements applied to applicants under such

14 program, in the fiscal year prior to the date of enactment

15 of this section.’’.

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