[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 176 (Thursday, September 11, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Page 53611]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-23107]



[[Page 53611]]

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; Assessment for NIH 
Minority Research/Training Programs: Phase 3

SUMMARY: Under the provisions of section 3507(a)(1)(D) of the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995, the National Research Council, on behalf of the 
National Institutes of Health (NIH), has submitted to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) a request to review and approve the 
information collection listed below. This proposed information 
collection was previously published in the Federal Register on February 
7, 2003, on pages 6492-3, and allowed 60 days for public comment. No 
public comments were received. The purpose of this notice is to allow 
an additional 30 days for public comment. The National Institutes of 
Health may not conduct or sponsor, and the respondent is not required 
to respond to, an information collection that has been extended, 
revised, or implemented on or after October 1, 1995, unless it displays 
a currently valid OMB control number.

Proposed Collection

    Title: Assessment for NIH Minority Research/Training Programs: 
Phase 3. Type of Information Collection Request: NEW. Need and Use of 
Information Collection: The goal of this study is to assess and analyze 
NIH minority trainee educational and career outcomes to determine which 
programs and which features of programs have been most successful in 
helping individual students and faculty members move toward productive 
careers as research scientists. The primary objectives of the study are 
to determine how well NIH minority research/training programs are 
working and what additional factors contribute to minority trainee 
success, including characteristics of individual participants, the 
academic institutions where they received NIH research/training support 
and/or obtained their terminal degree.
    In addition to conducting an assessment and analysis of the 
programs based upon information in existing NIH databases, current and 
former NIH trainees will be asked to participate in a voluntary 
telephone interview in which they will be asked to comment on aspects 
of their research training experience. Trainees asked to participate in 
the survey will include individuals who received research training in 
underrepresented minority-targeted programs and non-targeted programs, 
and who received support at academic levels ranging from their 
undergraduate years to the faculty level. This data collection will 
involve the use of computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) 
software.
    Program administrators at training grant recipient institutions 
will be interviewed by telephone to obtain their perspectives on the 
training programs. The results of the program administrator interviews 
will help the NIH determine (1) The ways and extent to which NIH 
minority research/training programs work; (2) which features of 
minority programs have been the most successful in helping individual 
students and faculty members move a step forward toward productive 
careers as research scientists; (3) what programmatic, environmental, 
or other factors increase the likelihood of minority training programs 
and their participating trainees achieving success; and (4) how to 
better assess NIH minority training programs. These interviews will 
provide a depth and quality of data that is not available through 
database query alone.
    Frequency of response: one-time. Affected Public: Individuals. Type 
of Respondent: Individuals who have participated in NIH minority 
training programs. Estimated Number of Respondents: 1,200; Estimated 
Number of Responses per Respondent: 1; Average Burden Hours Per 
Response: .5; and Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours Requested: 600. 
There are no Capital Costs to report. There are no Operating or 
Maintenance Costs to report.
    Request for Comments: Written comments and/or suggestions from the 
public and affected agencies should address one or more of the 
following points: (1) Whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the function of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility; (2) The 
accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed 
collection of information, including the validity of the methodology 
and assumptions used; (3) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and 
clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) Ways to minimize 
the burden of the collection of information on those who are to 
respond, including the use of appropriate automated, electronic, 
mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms 
of information technology.
    Direct Comments to OMB: Written comments and/or suggestions 
regarding the item(s) contained in this notice, especially regarding 
the estimated public burden and associated response time, should be 
directed to the: Office of Management and Budget, Office of Regulatory 
Affairs, New Executive Office Building, Room 10235, Washington, DC 
20053, Attention: Desk Officer for NIH. To request information on the 
proposed project or to obtain a copy of the data collection plans and 
instruments, contact: Dr. Joan Esnayra, Program Officer, Board on 
Biology, National Research Council Room 341B, National Academies, 2101 
Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20418, or call non-toll-free 
number (202) 334-2539, or e-mail your request, including your address, 
to [email protected].
    Comments Due Date: Comments regarding this information collection 
are best assured of having their full effect if received within 30 days 
of the date of this publication.

    Dated: September 3, 2003.
John Ruffin,
Director, National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities, 
National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. 03-23107 Filed 9-10-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-M