§ 300d–61 — Establishment Of Program

(a) The Secretary, acting through the Director of the National Institutes of Health (in this section referred to as the “Director”), shall establish a comprehensive program of conducting basic and clinical research on trauma (in this section referred to as the “Program”). The Program shall include research regarding the diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, and general management of trauma. (1) The Director, in consultation with the Trauma Research Interagency Coordinating Committee established under subsection (g), shall establish and implement a plan for carrying out the activities of the Program, including the activities described in subsection (d). All such activities shall be carried out in accordance with the plan. The plan shall be periodically reviewed, and revised as appropriate. (2) Not later than December 1, 1993, the Director shall submit the plan required in paragraph (1) to the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives, and to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate, together with an estimate of the funds needed for each of the fiscal years 1994 through 1996 to implement the plan. (c) The Director— (1) shall provide for the conduct of activities under the Program by the Directors of the agencies of the National Institutes of Health involved in research with respect to trauma; (2) shall ensure that the activities of the Program are coordinated among such agencies; and (3) shall, as appropriate, provide for collaboration among such agencies in carrying out such activities. (d) The Program shall include— (1) studies with respect to all phases of trauma care, including prehospital, resuscitation, surgical intervention, critical care, infection control, wound healing, nutritional care and support, and medical rehabilitation care; (2) basic and clinical research regarding the response of the body to trauma and the acute treatment and medical rehabilitation of individuals who are the victims of trauma; (3) basic and clinical research regarding trauma care for pediatric and geriatric patients; and (4) the authority to make awards of grants or contracts to public or nonprofit private entities for the conduct of basic and applied research regarding traumatic brain injury, which research may include— (A) the development of new methods and modalities for the more effective diagnosis, measurement of degree of brain injury, post-injury monitoring and prognostic assessment of head injury for acute, subacute and later phases of care; (B) the development, modification and evaluation of therapies that retard, prevent or reverse brain damage after acute head injury, that arrest further deterioration following injury and that provide the restitution of function for individuals with long-term injuries; (C) the development of research on a continuum of care from acute care through rehabilitation, designed, to the extent practicable, to integrate rehabilitation and long-term outcome evaluation with acute care research; (D) the development of programs that increase the participation of academic centers of excellence in brain injury treatment and rehabilitation research and training; and (E) carrying out subparagraphs (A) through (D) with respect to cognitive disorders and neurobehavioral consequences arising from traumatic brain injury, including the development, modification, and evaluation of therapies and programs of rehabilitation toward reaching or restoring normal capabilities in areas such as reading, comprehension, speech, reasoning, and deduction. (e) In carrying out the Program, the Director, acting through the Directors of the agencies referred to in subsection (c)(1), may make grants to public and nonprofit entities, including designated trauma centers. (f) The Director shall assure the availability of appropriate resources to carry out the Program, including the plan established under subsection (b) (including the activities described in subsection (d)). (1) There shall be established a Trauma Research Interagency Coordinating Committee (in this section referred to as the “Coordinating Committee”). (2) The Coordinating Committee shall make recommendations regarding— (A) the activities of the Program to be carried out by each of the agencies represented on the Committee and the amount of funds needed by each of the agencies for such activities; and (B) effective collaboration among the agencies in carrying out the activities. (3) The Coordinating Committee shall be composed of the Directors of each of the agencies that, under subsection (c), have responsibilities under the Program, and any other individuals who are practitioners in the trauma field as designated by the Director of the National Institutes of Health. (h) For purposes of this section: (1) The term “designated trauma center” has the meaning given such term in section 300d–31(1) of this title. (2) The term “Director” means the Director of the National Institutes of Health. (3) The term “trauma” means an injury resulting from exposure to— (A) a mechanical force; or (B) another extrinsic agent, including an extrinsic agent that is thermal, electrical, chemical, or radioactive. (4) The term “traumatic brain injury” means an acquired injury to the brain. Such term does not include brain dysfunction caused by congenital or degenerative disorders, nor birth trauma, but may include brain injuries caused by anoxia due to trauma. The Secretary may revise the definition of such term as the Secretary determines necessary, after consultation with States and other appropriate public or nonprofit private entities. (i) For the purpose of carrying out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2001 through 2005, and such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2009 through 2012.