[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 18 (Tuesday, January 28, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4071-4072]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-1983]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Cancer Institute; Notice of Planning Group Meeting

    Notice is hereby given that the National Cancer Institute will hold 
a public meeting of a Planning Group which will assist NCI in 
establishing a Director's Consumer Liaison Group (DCLG). The Planning 
Group meeting will begin at 8:30 a.m. on March 13, 1997 and will end at 
1:00 p.m. on March 14, 1997 at the Holiday Inn (Bethesda, MD). All 
sessions of the Planning Group meeting are open to the public. However, 
seating is limited and will be on a first-come, first served basis.
    A temporary DCLG Planning Group of NCI staff and consumer-advocates 
was formed to help in establishing the DCLG. The purpose of the DCLG is 
to: (1) Help develop and establish processes, mechanisms, and criteria 
for identifying appropriate consumer-advocates to serve on a variety of 
program and policy advisory committees responsible for advancing the 
mission of the NCI; (2) serve as a primary forum for discussing issues 
and concerns and exchanging viewpoints that are important to the broad 
development of NCI programmatic and research priorities, e.g., the 
development of the annual Bypass Budget; and (3) establish and maintain 
strong collaborations between NCI and the cancer advocacy community to 
reach common goals. The DCLG, consisting of approximately 15 consumer-
advocates who are involved in cancer advocacy and/or voluntary 
organizations, will meet several times a year. NCI anticipates that the 
activities and initiatives developed by NCI, in conjunction with the 
DCLG, will serve as models for consumer participation. Nominations for 
the members of the DCLG will be solicited from the cancer advocacy 
community. The first meeting of the DCLG is planned for late June 1997. 
A notice of the date and location of this meeting will be published in 
the Federal Register at a later date.
    The objectives of the Planning Group are to: (1) define the initial 
role of the DCLG; and (2) define the DCLG membership solicitation 
process, as well as the criteria, categories, and rating system to 
identify and rank potential members of the DCLG. Development of 
criteria for membership on the DCLG will include identification of 
categories of members needed to ensure balance and diversity of 
representation. To identify DCLG members, the process selected by the 
Planning Group to announce and invite submission of names of consumer-
advocates to serve on the DCLG will be followed. Nominees will be 
screened for eligibility according to a set of criteria and categories 
developed by the DCLG Planning Group. Consumer-advocates who are on the 
Planning Group will be unable to serve as members of the DCLG in its 
first year of operation, but their organizations may be represented by 
another individual.
    To provide input to the Planning Group, members of advocacy or 
voluntary organizations related to cancer are invited to submit 
eligibility criteria and categories that could be used to identify 
individuals who could serve on the DCLG. These criteria and categories 
will be used to help the Planning Group to develop the process for 
identifying DCLG members. Submissions on criteria and categories should 
be mailed to Ms. Fran Oscar at Palladian Partners, 7315 Wisconsin 
Avenue, Suite 440W, Bethesda, MD 20814, or sent to her by FAX to (301) 
986-5047 or by E-mail to [email protected]. They must be received no 
later than 5:00 p.m. (EST) on February 15, 1997 to be included in the 
materials provided to the Planning Group prior to the meeting. 
Submissions received after that date and time will be accepted, but may 
not be included in the materials considered by the Planning Group 
members at the March 13-14 meeting. All submission must be accompanied 
by the following information: (1) Name and address of individual making 
the submission; and (2) name and address of cancer advocacy or 
voluntary organization with which they are affiliated.
    Individuals who plan to attend the meeting and need special 
assistance, such as sign language interpretation or other special 
accommodations, should call Ms. Elaine Lee, Office of Liaison 
Activities, NCI at (301) 496-0644 or contract her by FAX (301) 402-2594 
or E-mail ([email protected]) in advance of the meeting, by February 
15, 1997. For additional information, contact Ms. Lee.


[[Page 4072]]


    Dated: January 17, 1997.
Marvin Kalt,
Director, Division of Extramural Activities, National Cancer Institute.
[FR Doc. 97-1983 Filed 1-27-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-M