Grants for Centers of Excellence (COE) Bilingual and Bicultural Minority Pre-Faculty Fellowship Program

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