[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 203 (Tuesday, October 21, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54642-54643]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-27863]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health


Office of Research on Women's Health; Notice of Meeting--``Beyond 
Hunt Valley: Research on Women's Health for the 21st Century''

    Notice is hereby given that the Office of Research on Women's 
Health (ORWH), Office of the Director, National Institutes of Health 
(NIH), will convene a meeting on November 17, 18, and 19, 1997, at the 
Bethesda Marriott (formerly Pooks Hill Marriott), Bethesda, Maryland.
    The NIH/AES is accredited by the Accreditation Council for 
Continuing Medical Education to sponsor continuing medical educations 
for physicians.
    The NIH/AES designates this educational activity for a maximum of 
10 hours in category 1 credit towards the AMA Physician's Recognition 
Award. Each physician should claim only those hours of credit that he/
she actually spent in the educational activity.
    The ORWH/NIH research agenda recognizes the full spectrum of 
research from basic to clinical research and trials, epidemiological 
and population studies, clinical applications and health outcomes. 
Since September 1996, the ORWH has convened a series of three regional 
meetings for the purpose of updating the NIH scientific agenda on 
women's health research to meet the challenges of a changing scientific 
and social world. This mechanism provides an opportunity for the 
continued collaboration between individuals and groups of women and 
their families, advocates, scientists, health care practitioners and 
public health policy makers with the NIH to update and revise the 
national research agenda for women's health into the twenty-first 
century. The purpose of this national meeting will be to culminate the 
dialogue conducted over the last year to update and revise the current 
biomedical research agenda for women's health, as originally presented 
in the Report of the National Institutes of Health; Opportunities for 
Research on Women's Health, a publication based on a conference held in 
Hunt Valley, Maryland, September 1991.
    The first day of the national meeting, November 17, will be devoted 
to receiving public testimony from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. The ORWH 
invites individuals or individuals representing organizations with an 
interest in research areas related to women's health

[[Page 54643]]

to provide written and oral testimony on (1) The state of knowledge and 
continuing or emerging gaps in knowledge about women's health across 
the life span, (2) Sex/gender differences: Issues for women's health 
research, (3) Factors that influence differences between populations of 
women: Issues for women's health research, (4) New priorities for 
research on women's health, and (5) Career issues for women scientists: 
Overcoming barriers and achieving success in biomedical careers.
    Due to time constraints, only one representative from each 
organization may present oral testimony, with presentations limited to 
10 minutes. A letter of intent to present such testimony should be sent 
by interested individuals and representatives of organizations to Ms. 
Saundra Bromberg, Capital Consulting Corporation, 11900 Parklawn Drive, 
Suite 350, Rockville, MD 20852. The date of receipt of the letter will 
establish the order of presentations at the November meeting.
    Presenters should send three (3) written copies (up to 18 double-
spaced pages) on a diskette in Word Perfect for IBM of their testimony, 
a one-page summary, and a brief description of their organization, to 
the above address no later than November 3, 1997. Individuals and 
individuals representing organizations wishing to provide written 
statements only may send three (3) copies of their statements to the 
above address by November 3, 1997. Written testimony will be made 
available to the conferees prior to the November 18 meeting day. 
Comments and questions related to the November meeting should be 
addressed to Ms. Bromberg.
    On November 18 and 19, plenary sessions as well as concurrent 
scientific working groups will address areas of science particularly 
relevant to women's health across the life span and career issues for 
women scientists. The meeting on November 18 will be held from 8:00 
a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and on November 19 from 8:00 a.m. until 
approximately 4:00 p.m. All sessions of the meeting are open to the 
public.
    In convening these meetings, the ORWH has reaffirmed the NIH's 
commitment to seeking broad representation of individuals from across 
the spectrum of medical specialties and scientific disciplines. Basic 
and clinical scientists, health providers, and advocates from across 
the country have met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; New Orleans, 
Louisiana; and Santa Fe, New Mexico, to provide guidance and make 
recommendations to the ORWH concerning advances in women's health 
research, continuing and/or emerging gaps in knowledge, areas in need 
of further research, strategies to take advantage of opportunities in 
science, and emerging issues in women's health.
    The NIH research agenda has focused on sex and gender issues in the 
health and diseases of women, in considering such matters as normal 
development, disease prevention, health maintenance, response to 
interventions, disease prognosis, and treatment outcomes. We have also 
focused on factors that influence differences in health status and 
health outcomes among different populations of women.
    At this national meeting, experts in basic and clinical science, 
practitioners interested in women's health, representatives of 
scientific, professional and women's health organizations, and women's 
health advocates will continue to assess the current status of research 
on women's health in these and in other areas, identify gaps in 
existing knowledge, and recommend scientific approaches and strategies 
for the future direction for research on women's health.
    The conference will focus on scientific issues such as 
cardiovascular disease, cancer, neurological conditions, reproductive 
issues, mental disorders, digestive diseases and nutrition, urologic 
and kidney conditions, bone/musculoskeletal disorders, immunity/
autoimmune diseases, behavioral and social sciences, oral health, 
substance abuse and addictive disorders, pharmacology, and career 
issues for women scientists. Following the national scientific 
workshop, the Office of Research on Women's Health will develop a 
report identifying priorities for research on women's health for the 
21st century.

    Dated: October 10, 1997.
Ruth L. Kirschstein,
Deputy Director, NIH.
[FR Doc. 97-27863 Filed 10-20-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-M