[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 189 (Friday, September 29, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50632-50633]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-24322]



-----------------------------------------------------------------------


DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Notice of Meeting

    Notice is hereby given of the meeting of the NIH AIDS Research 
Program Evaluation Working Group Area Review Panel on Natural History, 
Epidemiology, and Prevention Research on October 17, 1995 from 1 pm to 
5 pm at the Holiday Inn Bethesda, 8120 Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda, 
Maryland. The meeting will be open to the public from 2 pm to 5 

[[Page 50633]]
pm, and the closed portion will be from 1 pm to 2 pm.
    The NIH Revitalization act of 1993 authorizes the Office of AIDS 
Research (OAR) to evaluate the AIDS research activities of NIH. The NIH 
AIDS Research Program Evaluation Working Group was established by the 
OAR to carry out this major evaluation initiative, reviewing and 
assessing each of the components of the NIH AIDS research endeavor to 
determine whether those components are appropriately designed and 
coordinated to answer the critical scientific questions to lead to 
better treatments, preventions, and a cure for AIDS. Six Area Review 
Panels were also established to address the following research areas: 
Natural History and Epidemiology; Etiology and Pathogenesis; Clinical 
Trials; Drug Discovery; Vaccine Research; and Behavioral and Social 
Sciences Research.
    The purpose of the meeting is to seek input from individuals and 
organizations interested in the evaluation of AIDS research in the 
areas of natural history, epidemiology, and biomedical (nonbehavioral) 
intervention and prevention. Examples of areas under consideration by 
the panel include risk factors and mechanisms of HIV transmission; the 
progression of HIV-related disease from primary infection through long-
term consequences and sequelae; cohort studies of HIV-infected persons 
and HIV-uninfected persons at high risk of acquiring the infection; 
biomedical methods for HIV prevention and control, including topical 
microbicides; and treatment of other sexually transmitted diseases as a 
means of HIV control. The NIH AIDS Research Program Evaluation Working 
Group will develop recommendations to be made to the Office of AIDS 
Research Advisory Council that address the overall NIH AIDS research 
initiatives, both intramural and extramural, and identify long-range 
goals in the relevant areas of science. These recommendations will 
provide the framework for future planning and budget development of the 
NIH AIDS research program.
    There will be a closed session from 1 pm to 2 pm to update the 
Panel members on privileged information on institute and center grant 
and contract portfolios. The open session from 2 pm to 5 pm will begin 
with a brief overview of panel activities by members of the panel. The 
remainder of the meeting will be devoted to presentations from 
individuals and organizations. The session is open to the public; 
however, attendance may be limited by seat availability.
    Comments should be confined to statements related to the current 
status of NIH AIDS research in the areas of natural history, 
epidemiology, and biomedical prevention and recommendations for 
consideration by the panel in assessing and reviewing the relevant 
research in these areas.
    Only one representative of an organization may present oral 
comments. Each speaker will be permitted 5 minutes for their 
presentation. Interested individuals and representatives of 
organizations must submit a letter of intent to present comments and 
three (3) typewritten copies of the presentation, along with a brief 
description of the organization represented, to the attention of Dr. 
Sandra L. Melnick, Office of AIDS Research, NIH, 31 Center Drive, MSC 
2340, Building 31, Room 5C08, Bethesda, MD 20892-2340, (301) 402-2932, 
FAX: (301) 402-7769. Letters of intent and copies of presentations must 
be received no later than 5 pm EDT on October 10.
    Individuals wishing to provide only written statements should send 
three (3) typewritten copies of their comments, including a brief 
description of their organization, to the above address no later than 5 
pm EDT on October 12. Statements submitted after that date will be 
accepted. They may not, however, be made available to the Area Review 
Panel prior to the meeting, though they will be provided subsequently 
as written testimony.
    Individuals who plan to attend and need special assistance, such as 
sign language interpretation or other reasonable accommodations, should 
contact Dr. Melnick in advance of the meeting.

    Dated: September 22, 1995.
Margery G. Grubb,
Senior Committee Management Specialist.
[FR Doc. 95-24322 Filed 9-28-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-M