for transplantation, only approximately 6,000 liver 
transplants are performed each year. 
(16) There are 1,300 people in the United 
States who die each year waiting for a liver trans-
plant. 
(17) To address the public health threat posed 
by liver disease, there is a need for the establishment 
of a National Center on Liver Disease Research to 
provide dedicated scientific leadership, to create a 
research action plan, to ensure the funding of the 
scientific opportunities identified by the plan, and 
the coordination of efforts across the institutes and 
centers of the National Institutes of Health. 
SEC. 3. NATIONAL CENTER ON LIVER DISEASE RESEARCH. 
Subpart 3 of part C of title IV of the Public Health 
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 285c, et seq.) is amended by add-
ing at the end the following: 
‘‘NATIONAL CENTER ON LIVER DISEASE RESEARCH 
‘‘SEC. 434B. (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is estab-
lished the National Center on Liver Disease Research 
(hereafter in this section referred to as the ‘Center’) in 
the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kid-
ney Diseases. 
‘‘(b) DIRECTOR.—The Center shall be headed by a 
Director, who shall be appointed by the Director of the 
Institute, in consultation with the Director of NIH, from 
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among individuals with the highest scientific credentials. 
The Director of the Center shall report directly to the Di-
rector of the Institute. 
‘‘(c) DUTIES.—To ensure the development of in-
creased understanding of and better treatments and cures 
for liver disease through a dedicated scientific leadership 
and an adequate allocation of resources, the Director 
shall— 
‘‘(1) assist the Liver Disease Research Advisory 
Board to develop the Liver Disease Research Action 
Plan; and 
‘‘(2) encourage and coordinate the implementa-
tion of the Plan by the national research institutes, 
including by issuing research solicitations and by 
using all other available mechanisms. 
‘‘(d) 
LIVER
DISEASE
RESEARCH
ADVISORY 
BOARD.— 
‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 90 days 
after the date of the enactment of the Liver Re-
search Enhancement Act of 2009, the Director of 
NIH shall establish a board to be known as the 
Liver Disease Research Advisory Board (hereafter in 
this section referred to as the ‘Advisory Board’). 
‘‘(2) DUTIES.—The Advisory Board shall advise 
and assist the Director of the Center concerning 
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matters relating to liver disease research, including 
by developing and revising the Liver Disease Re-
search Action Plan in accordance with subsection 
(e). 
‘‘(3) VOTING MEMBERS.—The Advisory Board 
shall be composed of 18 voting members appointed 
by the Director of NIH, in consultation with the Di-
rector of the Institute, of whom 12 shall be eminent 
scientists and 6 shall be lay persons. The Director 
of NIH, in consultation with the Director of the In-
stitute, shall select 1 of the members to serve as the 
Chair of the Advisory Board. 
‘‘(4) EX OFFICIO MEMBERS.—The Director of 
NIH shall appoint each director of a national re-
search institute that funds liver disease research to 
serve as a nonvoting, ex officio member of the Advi-
sory Board. The Director of NIH shall invite 1 rep-
resentative of the Food and Drug Administration, 
and 1 representative of the Department of Veterans 
Affairs, to serve as a nonvoting, ex officio member 
of the Advisory Board. Each ex officio member of 
the Advisory Board may appoint an individual to 
serve as that member’s representative on the Advi-
sory Board. 
‘‘(e) LIVER DISEASE RESEARCH ACTION PLAN.— 
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