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American Dental Education Association

Volume 2, No. 57, June 7, 2022
ARPA-H’s First Acting Deputy Director Appointed

 

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra Adam H. Russell, D.Phil, as acting Deputy Director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H). Dr. Russell will be initially charged with building the administrative structure of the new agency.

 

The appointment is another step in getting ARPA-H up and running, though Congress has yet to finalize the authorization for the agency. Authorization legislation is needed to officially establish the agency, though funding has already been appropriated for ARPA-H. Currently, the language in the U.S. House of Representatives’ ARPA-H authorization bill establishes ARPA-H as an independent agency that is not under the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) umbrella, whereas the U.S. Senate’s authorizing language is open to ARPA-H being under NIH’s umbrella as long as ARPA-H is not physically located on the NIH campus.

 

Additionally, in the House’s authorizing language, the ARPA-H director and other senior officials would have to be confirmed by Congress and not simply appointed by the President or HHS Secretary. Though the confirmation requirement is not yet law, ARPA-H’s newly appointed deputy director will be the “acting” deputy director, pending possible congressional confirmation.

 

Dr. Russell is the Chief Scientist at University of Maryland's Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security. He spent more than a decade as a Program Manager, first at the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity and then at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Dr. Russell will begin his new role at ARPA-H in June.

 

He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Cultural Anthropology from Duke University, and an M.Phil. and a D.Phil. in Social Anthropology from Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar.

NIH Implements New Requirement to Address Harassment

 

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced a for NIH-funded institutions. A provision in the mandated that NIH-funded institutions report to the NIH “when individuals identified as principal investigator or as key personnel in an NIH notice of award are removed from their position or are otherwise disciplined due to concerns about harassment, bullying, retaliation, or hostile working conditions.” The NIH-funded institution must notify NIH within 30 days of the removal or disciplinary action. The new requirement goes into effect on July 8.

 

When a funded institution reports harassment to NIH, NIH will continue to work with the grantee organization and other federal agencies, as required, to determine what actions are appropriate. NIH actions may include approving the institution’s substitution or removal of personnel from an NIH grant, restricting award funding or, when neither of these options is available or adequate, suspending or terminating the grant award.

Reminder: HRSA Accepting Applications for the Faculty Loan Repayment Program

 

The Department of Health and Human Service’s Health Resources & Services Administration is now accepting applications for the Faculty Loan Repayment Program. The application deadline is Thursday, June 30, at 7:30 p.m. ET. Application information can be found .

 

The department will hold a webinar detailing the application process on Thursday, June 16. Webinar information can be found in the middle of the page.
Illinois Bill Establishes Repayment and Scholarship Program for Qualified Health Professionals

 

A in Illinois will establish a new program in the state that will grant scholarships and repay student loans for some qualifying health care professionals, including dentists, dental hygienists and dental assistants.

 

Once implemented, dentists and dental hygienists who meet qualifying criteria, which includes working for a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), an FQHC lookalike, or a hospital system operated by a county with more than 3,000,000 residents, will be eligible to apply for student loan repayment.

 

Dental assistants who work at facilities that meet the same qualifying criteria will be eligible for a scholarship to cover the cost of enrollment and other fees associated with a training program offered by an Illinois-based institution of higher education, an online program accredited in Illinois, an Illinois-based community college or a recognized Illinois-based training entity.

 

Both the scholarship and loan repayment programs will require awardees to fulfill service requirements, are subject to an appropriation from the state legislature and will also prioritize:

  • Those who identify as a person from a race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability status that is underrepresented in the health care sector;
  • First-generation postsecondary students;
  • Reservists in the U.S. Armed Forces or military veterans; and
  • Persons working in rural medical facilities
Louisiana Will Send Licensure Changes to Governor

 

The Louisiana State Legislature will soon to Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) that makes licensure changes for both dentists and dental hygienists. For dentists and dental hygienists, the bill would remove a requirement that an examination for initial licensure include procedures performed on human subjects. The bill would also end the requirement that dental and dental hygiene applicants be examined by the Louisiana State Board of Dentistry for initial licensure. Applicants would instead be required to present satisfactory evidence of having taken and passed an examination in the theory and practice of the profession given by the Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations. Finally, language for dental hygienists is being updated to require a dental hygienist to be a citizen of the United States or possess valid and current legal authority from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services or its successor to reside and work in the United States.

ADEA Advocacy in Action

This appears weekly in the ADEA Advocate to summarize and provide direct links to recent advocacy actions taken by ADEA. Please let us know what you think and how we might improve its usefulness.

 

Issues and Resources

  • ADEA regarding vaccines at the state level
  • ADEA on teledentistry
  • ADEA on the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on U.S. Dental Schools
  • ADEA policy regarding overprescription of antibiotics
  • For a full list of ADEA memos, briefs and letters click .

 

The is published weekly. Its purpose is to keep ADEA members abreast of federal and state issues and events of interest to the academic dentistry and the dental and research communities.

 

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American Dental Education Association

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B. Timothy Leeth, CPA

ADEA Chief Advocacy Officer

 

Bridgette DeHart, J.D.

ADEA Director of Federal Relations and Advocacy

 

Phillip Mauller, M.P.S.

ADEA Director of State Relations and Advocacy

 

Brian Robinson

ADEA Program Manager for Advocacy and Government Relations

 

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