Prevention, Awareness, and Research of Autoimmune Diseases Act of 2008 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, to award grants for the conduct or support of research on environmental triggers that can cause the initiation of autoimmune diseases in genetically predisposed individuals.
Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to award grants to eligible entities to conduct public and professional awareness activities regarding autoimmune diseases. Allows grantees to use grant funds to: (1) promote increased awareness of early intervention and treatment to significantly improve the quality of life for people with autoimmune diseases; (2) target minority communities that may be underserved or disproportionately affected by such diseases; and (3) target women to help reduce the amount of time taken for correct diagnosis of such diseases.
Requires the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to: (1) award grants to eligible entities for the education of health care providers on potential links between autoimmune diseases and cognitive and mood disorders, such as depression; and (2) establish an educational loan repayment program for physicians agreeing to conduct research on autoimmune diseases.