[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
