Health Resources and Services Administration February 9, 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Centers of Excellence (COE) program in health professions education for under-represented minority (URM) individuals is authorized by section 736 of the Public Health Service Act (PHS Act), 42 U.S.C. 293 (2011). The purpose of this final notice is to inform interested individuals of the criteria that will be used to determine the eligibility of designated health professions schools to apply for COE funding in fiscal year (FY) 2012 and subsequent fiscal years. The Supplementary Information in this Notice provides a brief synopsis of the public comments that the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) received on the updates to the proposed eligibility criteria in response to the November 7, 2011 Federal Register Notice, specifically addressing: 1) the proposed graduation threshold eligibility criteria, 2) the COE eligibility criteria in general, and 3) the purpose of the COE program as authorized by the PHS Act.