of Minority Health shall be appointed by the Under Secretary for Health from among individuals qualified to perform the duties of the position. (c) Functions The functions of the Office are as follows: (1) To establish short-range and long-range goals and objectives and coordinate all other activities within the Veterans Health Administration that relate to disease prevention, health promotion, health care services delivery, and health care research concerning veterans who are members of a racial or ethnic minority group. (2) To support research, demonstrations, and evaluations to test new and innovative models for the discharge of activities described in paragraph (1). (3) To increase knowledge and understanding of health risk factors for veterans who are members of a racial or ethnic minority group. (4) To develop mechanisms that support better health care information dissemination, education, prevention, and services delivery to veterans from disadvantaged backgrounds, including veterans who are members of a racial or ethnic minority group. (5) To enter into contracts or agreements with appropriate public and nonprofit private entities to develop and carry out programs to provide bilingual or interpretive services to assist veterans who are members of a racial or ethnic minority group and who lack proficiency in speaking the English language in accessing and receiving health care services through the Veterans Health Administration. (6) To carry out programs to improve access to health care services through the Veterans Health Administration for veterans with limited proficiency in speaking the English language, including the development and evaluation of demonstration and pilot projects for that purpose. (7) To advise the Under Secretary for Health on matters relating to the development, implementation, and evaluation of health professions education in decreasing disparities in health care outcomes between veterans who are members of a racial or ethnic minority group and other veterans, including cultural