372 
Panel to be reviewed and returned within 30 
days, and then within 90 days submitted to 
Congress recommendations— 
(i) regarding any appropriate changes 
to research and health care programs, in-
cluding recommendations to improve the 
research portfolio of the Department of 
Veterans Affairs, Department of Defense, 
National Institutes of Health, and other 
Federal agencies to ensure that scientif-
ically based strategic planning is imple-
mented in support of research and health 
care program priorities; 
(ii) designed to ensure that the re-
search and health care programs and ac-
tivities of the Department of Veterans Af-
fairs, the Department of Defense, the De-
partment of Health and Human Services, 
and other Federal agencies are free of un-
necessary duplication; 
(iii) regarding public participation in 
decisions relating to prostate cancer re-
search and health care programs to in-
crease the involvement of patient advo-
cates, community organizations, and med-
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ical associations representing a broad geo-
graphical area; 
(iv) on how to best disseminate infor-
mation on prostate cancer research and 
progress achieved by health care programs; 
(v) about how to expand partnerships 
between public entities, including Federal 
agencies, and private entities to encourage 
collaborative, cross-cutting research and 
health care delivery; 
(vi) assessing any cost savings and ef-
ficiencies realized through the efforts iden-
tified and supported in this section and 
recommending expansion of those efforts 
that have proved most promising while also 
ensuring against any conflicts in directives 
from other congressional or statutory man-
dates or enabling statutes; 
(vii) identifying key priority action 
items from among the recommendations; 
and 
(viii) with respect to the level of fund-
ing needed by each agency to implement 
the recommendations contained in the re-
port. 
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(3) MEMBERS OF THE PROSTATE CANCER TASK 
FORCE.—The Prostate Cancer Task Force described 
in subsection (a) shall be composed of representa-
tives from such Federal agencies, as each Secretary 
determines necessary, to coordinate a uniform mes-
sage relating to prostate cancer screening and treat-
ment where appropriate, including representatives of 
the following: 
(A) The Department of Veterans Affairs, 
including representatives of each relevant pro-
gram areas of the Department of Veterans Af-
fairs. 
(B) The Prostate Cancer Research Pro-
gram of the Congressionally Directed Medical 
Research Program of the Department of De-
fense. 
(C) The Department of Health and 
Human Services, including at a minimum rep-
resentatives of the following: 
(i) The National Institutes of Health. 
(ii) National research institutes and 
centers, including the National Cancer In-
stitute, the National Institute of Allergy 
and Infectious Diseases, and the Office of 
Minority Health. 
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(iii) The Centers for Medicare & Med-
icaid Services. 
(iv) The Food and Drug Administra-
tion. 
(v) The Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention. 
(vi) The Agency for Healthcare Re-
search and Quality. 
(vii) The Health Resources and Serv-
ices Administration. 
(4) APPOINTING EXPERT ADVISORY PANELS.— 
The Prostate Cancer Task Force shall appoint ex-
pert advisory panels, as determined appropriate, to 
provide input and concurrence from individuals and 
organizations from the medical, prostate cancer pa-
tient and advocate, research, and delivery commu-
nities with expertise in prostate cancer diagnosis, 
treatment, and research, including practicing urolo-
gists, primary care providers, and others and indi-
viduals with expertise in education and outreach to 
underserved populations affected by prostate cancer. 
(5) MEETINGS.—The Prostate Cancer Task 
Force shall convene not less than twice a year, or 
more frequently as the Secretary determines to be 
appropriate. 
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(6) SUBMISSION
OF
RECOMMENDATIONS
TO 
CONGRESS.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
submit to Congress any recommendations submitted 
to the Secretary under paragraph (2)(E). 
(7) FEDERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ACT.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 
subparagraph (B), the Federal Advisory Com-
mittee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall apply to the 
Prostate Cancer Task Force. 
(B) EXCEPTION.—Section 14(a)(2)(B) of 
such Act (relating to the termination of advi-
sory committees) shall not apply to the Prostate 
Cancer Task Force. 
(8) SUNSET DATE.—The Prostate Cancer Task 
Force shall terminate at the end of fiscal year 2016. 
(d) PROSTATE CANCER RESEARCH.— 
(1) RESEARCH COORDINATION.—The Secretary 
of Veterans Affairs, in coordination with the Secre-
taries of Defense and of Health and Human Serv-
ices, shall establish and carry out a program to co-
ordinate and intensify prostate cancer research as 
needed. Specifically, such research program shall— 
(A) develop advances in diagnostic and 
prognostic methods and tests, including bio-
markers and an improved prostate cancer 
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screening blood test, including improvements or 
alternatives to the prostate specific antigen test 
and additional tests to distinguish indolent from 
aggressive disease; 
(B) better understand the etiology of the 
disease (including an analysis of lifestyle factors 
proven to be involved in higher rates of prostate 
cancer, such as obesity and diet, and in dif-
ferent ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic groups, 
such as the African-American, Latin-American, 
and American Indian populations and men with 
a family history of prostate cancer) to improve 
prevention efforts; 
(C) expand basic research into prostate 
cancer, including studies of fundamental molec-
ular and cellular mechanisms; 
(D) identify and provide clinical testing of 
novel agents for the prevention and treatment 
of prostate cancer; 
(E) establish clinical registries for prostate 
cancer; 
(F) use the National Institute of Bio-
medical Imaging and Bioengineering and the 
National Cancer Institute for assessment of ap-
propriate imaging modalities; and 
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(G) address such other matters relating to 
prostate cancer research as may be identified by 
the Federal agencies participating in the pro-
gram under this section. 
(2) PROSTATE
CANCER
ADVISORY
BOARD.— 
There is established in the Office of the Chief Sci-
entist of the Food and Drug Administration a Pros-
tate Cancer Scientific Advisory Board. Such board 
shall be responsible for accelerating real-time shar-
ing of the latest research data and accelerating 
movement of new medicines to patients. 
(3) UNDERSERVED
MINORITY
GRANT
PRO-
GRAM.—In carrying out such program, the Secretary 
shall— 
(A) award grants to eligible entities to 
carry out components of the research outlined 
in paragraph (1); 
(B) integrate and build upon existing 
knowledge gained from comparative effective-
ness research; and 
(C) recognize and address— 
(i) the racial and ethnic disparities in 
the incidence and mortality rates of pros-
tate cancer and men with a family history 
of prostate cancer; 
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(ii) any barriers in access to care and 
participation in clinical trials that are spe-
cific to racial, ethnic, and other under-
served minorities and men with a family 
history of prostate cancer; 
(iii) needed outreach and educational 
efforts to raise awareness in these commu-
nities; and 
(iv) appropriate access and utilization 
of imaging modalities. 
(e) TELEHEALTH
AND
RURAL
ACCESS
PILOT 
PROJECT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs, the Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary 
of Health and Human Services (in this section re-
ferred to as the ‘‘Secretaries’’) shall establish 4-year 
telehealth pilot projects for the purpose of analyzing 
the clinical outcomes and cost effectiveness associ-
ated with telehealth services in a variety of geo-
graphic areas that contain high proportions of medi-
cally underserved populations, including African- 
Americans, Latin-Americans, American Indians, and 
those in rural areas. Such projects shall promote ef-
ficient use of specialist care through better coordina-
tion of primary care and physician extender teams 
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in underserved areas and more effectively employ 
tumor boards to better counsel patients. 
(2) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretaries shall 
select eligible entities to participate in the pilot 
projects under this section. 
(B) PRIORITY.—In selecting eligible enti-
ties to participate in the pilot projects under 
this section, the Secretaries shall give priority 
to such entities located in medically under-
served areas, particularly those that include Af-
rican-Americans, Latin-Americans, and facili-
ties of the Indian Health Service, and those in 
rural areas. 
(3) 
EVALUATION.—The 
Secretaries 
shall, 
through the pilot projects, evaluate— 
(A) the effective and economic delivery of 
care in diagnosing and treating prostate cancer 
with the use of telehealth services in medically 
underserved and tribal areas including collabo-
rative uses of health professionals and integra-
tion of the range of telehealth and other tech-
nologies; 
(B) the effectiveness of improving the ca-
pacity of nonmedical providers and nonspecial-
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ized medical providers to provide health services 
for prostate cancer in medically underserved 
and tribal areas, including the exploration of in-
novative medical home models with collabora-
tion between urologists, other relevant medical 
specialists, including oncologists, radiologists, 
and primary care teams and coordination of 
care through the efficient use of primary care 
teams and physician extenders; and 
(C) the effectiveness of using telehealth 
services to provide prostate cancer treatment in 
medically underserved areas, including the use 
of tumor boards to facilitate better patient 
counseling. 
(4) REPORT.—Not later than 12 months after 
the completion of the pilot projects under this sub-
section, the Secretaries shall submit to Congress a 
report describing the outcomes of such pilot projects, 
including any cost savings and efficiencies realized, 
and providing recommendations, if any, for expand-
ing the use of telehealth services. 
(f) EDUCATION AND AWARENESS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs shall develop a national education campaign 
for prostate cancer. Such campaign shall involve the 
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use of written educational materials and public serv-
ice announcements consistent with the findings of 
the Prostate Cancer Task Force under subsection 
(c), that are intended to encourage men to seek 
prostate cancer screening when appropriate. 
(2) RACIAL DISPARITIES AND THE POPULATION 
OF
MEN
WITH
A
FAMILY
HISTORY
OF
PROSTATE 
CANCER.—In developing the national campaign 
under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall ensure that 
such educational materials and public service an-
nouncements are more readily available in commu-
nities experiencing racial disparities in the incidence 
and mortality rates of prostate cancer and by men 
of any race classification with a family history of 
prostate cancer. 
(3) GRANTS.—In carrying out the national 
campaign under this section, the Secretary shall 
award grants to nonprofit private entities to enable 
such entities to test alternative outreach and edu-
cation strategies. 
(g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section for the period 
of fiscal years 2012 through 2016 an amount equal 
to the savings described in paragraph (2). 
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