,,ii #aahth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #bcde ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,july #ah1 #bjbc,ms4 ,ernst 7for herself and ,mr4 ,coons7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions ,a ,,bill ,to amend the ,public ,health ,service ,act to authorize the ,director of the ,national ,institutes of ,health to make awards to outstanding scientists1 including physician-scientists1 to support researchers focusing on pediatric research1 including basic1 clinical1 translational1 or pediatric pharmacological research1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,pediatricians ,accelerate ,childhood ,therapies ,act of #bjbc4 #b4 ,trans-,,nih ,awards for ,early-,career ,pediatric ,researchers ,part ,g of title ,,iv of the ,public ,health ,service ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #bhh et seq47 is amended by adding at the end the following new section3 #dhi;,a4 ,trans-,,nih ,awards for ,early-,career ,pediatric ,researchers 7a7 ,in general ,the ,director of the ,,nih shall make awards to public and nonprofit entities to support outstanding scientists1 including physician-scientists1 to support early-career researchers focusing on pediatric research1 including basic1 clinical1 translational1 or pediatric pharmacological research4 7b7 ,priority research populations ,in carrying out subsection 7a71 the ,director of ,,nih may prioritize the issuance of awards to-- 7#a7 individual researchers at institutions described in subsection 7a7 presenting qualifying applications and representing populations that have been historically underrepresented in pediatric medical research1 including women and underrepresented racial minorities2 or 7#b7 institutions of higher education that are eligible to receive funds under part ,a or ,b of title ,,iii of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife1 part ,a or ,b of title ,v of such ,act1 or subpart #d of part ,a of title ,,vii of such ,act1 or research institutions partnering with such institutions of higher education to offer programs to support early-career pediatric researchers4 7c7 ,priority research topic areas ,in carrying out subsection 7a71 the ,director of ,,nih1 in consultation with the ,director of the ,eunice ,kennedy ,shriver ,national ,institute of ,child ,health and ,human ,development and the directors of other national research institutes and national centers that participate within the ,,nih ,pediatric ,research ,consortium1 shall-- 7#a7 establish priority research topic areas1 informed by external stakeholders1 including research institutions1 professional societies1 patient advocacy organizations1 and the private sector2 and 7#b7 consider opportunities to align such priority pediatric research topic areas with current and future priorities of the ,national ,institutes of ,health1 including-- 7,a7 pediatric and adolescent mental and behavioral health1 including addiction medicine2 7,b7 childhood cancer2 7,c7 precision medicine1 genetics1 and genomics2 7,d7 rare diseases and disorders1 such as sickle cell disease1 and other diseases and disorders with significant unmet training needs2 and 7,e7 fetal1 placental1 and neonatal development4 7d7 ,requirements ,the ,director of ,,nih-- 7#a7 shall require recipients of awards under this section to use such awards to support pediatric research activities1 including costs associated with laboratory staff and other costs associated with the conduct of research2 and 7#b7 may allow recipients of awards under this section to use such awards for costs associated with receiving guidance and training from senior researchers and mentors1 as necessary to help such recipients reach a state of research independence1 including conferences and other meeting participation4 7e7 ,supplement1 not supplant ,awards made under this section shall be used to supplement1 and not supplant1 other funding for pediatric research and pediatric training4 4 #c4 ,,nih ,pediatric ,research ,consortium ,title ,,iv of the ,public ,health ,service is amended by inserting after section #dji;,d 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #bhd;h7 the following new section3 #dji;,d-#a4 ,,nih ,pediatric ,research ,consortium 7a7 ,establishment ,the ,director of ,,nih shall establish and maintain a consortium to be known as the ,,nih ,pediatric ,research ,consortium 7in this sections referred to as the ,consortium7 to coordinate pediatric research programs across the ,national ,institutes of ,health4 7b7 ,membership ,the members of the ,consortium shall consist of representatives of multiple national research institutes and national centers4 7c7 ,chair ,the ,chair of the ,consortium shall be the ,director of the ,eunice ,kennedy ,shriver ,national ,institute of ,child ,health and ,human ,development 7or the ,director's designee74 7d7 ,duties ,in coordinating pediatric research programs across the ,national ,institutes of ,health1 the ,consortium shall-- 7#a7 establish new or confirm existing ,national ,institutes of ,health pediatric research priorities1 including priorities involving multiple national research institutes or national centers2 7#b7 identify gaps and opportunities for research collaborations involving multiple national research institutes and national centers2 and 7#c7 identify opportunities to develop the next generation of pediatric researchers4 7e7 ,consultation ,the ,consortium shall consult regularly with external experts in the field of pediatric research1 including children's hospitals1 children's research institutions1 patient organizations1 and other stakeholders4 7f7 ,reporting ,beginning one year after the date of enactment of the ,pediatricians ,accelerate ,childhood ,therapies ,act of #bjbc and every #b years thereafter1 the ,consortium shall submit to ,congress1 and make publicly available on the website of the ,national ,institutes of ,health1 a report on-- 7#a7 any research project involving pediatrics and involving more than one national research institute or national center that was supported during the review period2 7#b7 any strategic initiatives that include proposed research activities focused on pediatrics2 7#c7 career development awards supporting early-career researchers focused in pediatrics1 including specific numbers of awards and amount of funding1 made during the review period2 7#d7 details on the composition of awards supporting early-career researchers1 including deidentified1 aggregate demographic data indicating the proportion of early-career researchers supported by the awards who are from populations that have been underrepresented in pediatric medical research2 and 7#e7 such other information as the ,director of ,,nih determines appropriate4 4