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.

In carrying out the program under subsection (a), the Director of the National Institutes of Health—

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).

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).

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.

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.

(July 1, 1944, ch. 373, title IV, § 487A, as added Pub. L. 100–607, title VI, § 634(a), Nov. 4, 1988, 102 Stat. 3148; amended Pub. L. 103–43, title XVI, § 1611(a), June 10, 1993, 107 Stat. 181; Pub. L. 105–392, title IV, § 410(a), Nov. 13, 1998, 112 Stat. 3589; Pub. L. 109–482, title I, § 103(b)(48), Jan. 15, 2007, 120 Stat. 3688; Pub. L. 114–255, div. A, title II, § 2022(a), Dec. 13, 2016, 130 Stat. 1052.)