42 USC 288-1 – Intramural loan repayment program
(a) In general
The Director of the National Institutes of Health shall, as appropriate and based on workforce and scientific priorities, carry out a program through the subcategories listed in subsection (b)(1) (or modified subcategories as provided for in subsection (b)(2)) of entering into agreements with appropriately qualified health professionals under which such health professionals agree to conduct research, as employees of the National Institutes of Health, in consideration of the Federal Government agreeing to repay, for each year of such service, not more than $50,000 of the principal and interest of the educational loans of such health professionals.
(b) Subcategories of research
(1) In general
In carrying out the program under subsection (a), the Director of the National Institutes of Health—
(A) shall continue to focus on—
(i) general research;
(ii) research on acquired immune deficiency syndrome; and
(iii) clinical research conducted by appropriately qualified health professional 1 who are from disadvantaged backgrounds; and
(B) may focus on an area of emerging scientific or workforce need.
(2) Elimination or establishment of subcategories
The Director of the National Institutes of Health may eliminate one or more subcategories provided for in paragraph (1) due to changes in workforce or scientific needs related to biomedical research. The Director may establish other subcategory areas based on workforce and scientific priorities if the total number of subcategories does not exceed the number of subcategories listed in paragraph (1).
(c) Limitation
Terms Used In 42 USC 288-1
- clinical research: 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 epidemiologic or behavioral studies, outcomes research or health services research, or developing new technologies, therapeutic interventions, or clinical trials. See 42 USC 284d
- Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
- Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
- Service: means the Public Health Service. See 42 USC 201
The Director of the National Institutes of Health may not enter into a contract with a health professional pursuant to subsection (a) unless such professional has a substantial amount of education loans relative to income (as determined pursuant to guidelines issued by the Director).
(d) Applicability of certain provisions
With respect to the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program established in subpart III of part D of subchapter II, the provisions of such subpart shall, except as inconsistent with subsection (a) of this section, apply to the program established in such subsection (a) in the same manner and to the same extent as such provisions apply to the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program established in such subpart.
(e) Availability of appropriations
Amounts available for carrying out this section shall remain available until the expiration of the second fiscal year beginning after the fiscal year for which such amounts are made available.