[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 156 (Thursday, August 13, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43398-43399]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-21788]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Office of the Secretary


Request for Nominations for Members of the Secretary's Advisory 
Committee on Genetic Testing

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, DHHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is 
soliciting nominations for qualified individuals to serve on the 
Secretary's Advisory Committee on Genetic Testing (SACGT).

DATES: Nomination packages should be submitted to Sarah Carr, Executive 
Secretary, SACGT, Office of Science Policy, National Institutes of 
Health, 9000 Rockville Pike, Building 1, Room 218, Bethesda, Maryland 
20892, by August 31, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sarah Carr, Executive Secretary, 
SACGT, Office of Science Policy, National Institutes of Health, 9000 
Rockville Pike, Building 1, Room 218, Bethesda, Maryland 20892. Tel 
301-496-1454.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The SACGT was established June 10, 1998 
pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended (5 U.S.C. 
Appendix 2). The SACGT will provide advice and make recommendations to 
the Secretary through the Assistant Secretary for Health on all aspects 
of the development and use of genetic tests. The scope of the 
Committee's charge includes recommending policies and procedures for 
the safe and effective incorporation of genetic technologies into 
health care; assessing the effectiveness of existing and future 
measures for oversight of genetic tests; and identifying research needs 
related to the Committee's purview. The decision to establish the SACGT 
is responsive to the recommendations of two prior advisory groups 
commissioned jointly by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the 
Department of Energy (DOE) for the Human Genome Project. The groups 
were the Task Force on Genetic Testing and the Joint NIH/DOE Committee 
to Evaluate the Ethnical, Legal, and Social Implications Program of the 
Human Genome Project.

Nominations

    The SACGT's eleven non-governmental members and chair will be 
selected by the Secretary, or designee, from the fields of genetic 
testing, medical genetics, genetic counseling, ethics, law, primary 
health care, public health, clinical laboratory management, diagnostic 
technology, psychology, social sciences, and other relevant 
disciplines. At least one member will be specifically selected for 
knowledge/expertise as a patient/consumer advocate. To ensure 
coordination with existing committees of relevance, at least one member 
of the SACGT will be a current member of the Clinical Laboratory 
Improvement Advisory Committee, and at least one will be a current 
member of the Medical Devices Advisory Committee. SACGT members shall 
be invited to serve for overlapping terms of up to four years; terms of 
more than two years are contingent upon the renewal of the Committee by 
appropriate action prior to its termination.

Information Required

    Individuals and organizations interested in submitting a nomination 
or nominations, should submit a nomination package that includes the 
following information for each nominee: (1) a letter of nomination 
stating the name, affiliation, and contact information for the nominee, 
the basis for the nomination (i.e., what specific attributes recommends 
him/her for service in this capacity), and the category of expertise 
the nominee would fulfill; (2) the name, return address, and daytime 
telephone number at which the nominator can be contacted; and (3) a 
biographical sketch of the nominee and a copy of his or her curriculum 
vitae.
    All nomination information for a nominee must be provided in a

[[Page 43399]]

complete single package. Incomplete nominations cannot be considered. 
The nomination letter must bear an original signature; facsimile 
transmissions or copies cannot be accepted.

    Dated: July 31, 1998.
David Satcher,
Assistant Secretary for Health and Surgeon General.
[FR Doc. 98-21788 Filed 8-12-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-17-M