HEARD Act of 2025

The HEARD Act of 2025 directs the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to expand and coordinate research on rare diseases with a specific focus on health equity for minority populations. It requires NIH to establish a Coordinating Committee involving multiple federal agencies to develop a comprehensive plan for addressing rare diseases in minority communities, including research on epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment. The bill creates new grant programs for data collection on rare diseases in minority populations, physician training programs on rare diseases, and scholarship/loan repayment programs for health professionals serving these communities, while also mandating reports to Congress on federal efforts to address these health disparities.