Centers of Excellence

Program Categories

Pursuant to Title VII, Section 736 of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act, the Centers of Excellence (COE) Program awards grants to assist designated health professions schools in supporting programs of excellence in health professions education for under-represented minority (URM) individuals. 

The designated health professions school COE categories are:

1. Certain Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
2. Hispanic
3. Native American
4. “Other”

Current Grantees by Category

Grantee	Category
Meharry Medical College-School of Medicine	HBCU
Meharry Medical College-School of Dentistry	HBCU
Tuskegee University	HBCU
Xavier University	HBCU
Stanford Junior University	Hispanic
Texas Tech University	Hispanic
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey	Hispanic
University of Texas Health Sciences Center at Houston	Hispanic
Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Yeshiva University (ARRA-funded)	Hispanic
University of Hawaii	Native American
University of Montana	Native American
Harvard University	Other
Howard University	Other
Mount Sinai School of Medicine	Other
University of Kansas	Other
Morehouse School of Medicine (ARRA-funded)	Other

Eligibility

Health professions schools that may be eligible for designation as a COE at certain HBCUs are limited by statute to schools described in section 799B(1) of the PHS Act and which received contracts under section 788B for fiscal year 1987, as such section was in effect that fiscal year. 

Health professions schools that may be eligible for designation as a Hispanic, Native American or “Other” COE  include schools of medicine, osteopathic medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, or graduate programs in behavioral or mental health that meet certain conditions.

As part of the eligibility requirements for the COE program, health professions schools must meet four general conditions.  The schools must:

1. have a significant number of URM individuals enrolled;
2. have been effective in assisting the school’s URM students to complete the program of education and receive the degree involved;
3. have been effective in recruiting URM individuals to enroll in and graduate from the school, including providing financial assistance and encouraging URM students from all levels of the educational pipeline to pursue health professions careers; and
4. have made significant recruitment efforts to increase the number of URM individuals serving in faculty or administrative positions at the school. 

Health professions schools also must satisfy specific conditions with respect to the COE category for which they apply:

• Health professions schools eligible for designation as a COE at certain HBCUs are limited by statute to four schools: Meharry School of Dentistry, Meharry School of Medicine, Tuskegee School of Veterinary Medicine, and Xavier School of Pharmacy.  
• “Other” COEs must be at a health professions school with an enrollment of URMs above the national average for such enrollments of health professions schools. 
• In addition to meeting other conditions, Hispanic or Native American COEs must be at health professions schools with a significant number of individuals from their respective populations enrolled and agree to give priority to carrying out the duties of the program with respect to these individuals. For purposes of the COE program, the term “Native American” applies to American Indians, Alaskan Natives, Aleuts, and Native Hawaiians.

Funding Breakdown

The statute dictates the following funding breakdown of awards according to amount appropriated:

• If amount is $24,000,000 or less
  • $12,000,000 is made available for grants to support COEs at the four designated HBCUs; and
  • After grants are made with funds under the preceding bullet:
    • 60% of the remaining amount is made available for grants to support Hispanic or Native American COEs; and
    • 40% of the remaining amount is made available for grants to support “Other” COEs

• If amount exceeds $24,000,000 but is less than $30,000,000:
  • $24,000,000 is allocated as described above; and
  • 80% of the amount exceeding $24,000,000 is made available for grants to support Hispanic or Native American COEs; and
  • 20% of the amount exceeding $24,000,000 is made available for grants to support “Other” COEs

• If amount is greater than or equal to $30,000,000:
  • Not less than $12,000,000 is made available for grants to support COEs at the four designated HBCUs;
  • Not less than $12,000,000 is made available for grants to support Hispanic or Native American COEs;
  • Not less than $6,000,000 is made available for grants to support “Other” COEs; and
  • After grants are made with funds under the preceding three bullets, any remaining funds are made available for grants to support COEs at the four designated HBCUs or to support Hispanic, Native American or “Other” COEs.