[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 227 (Monday, November 24, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71016-71017]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-27791]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health


Office of Dietary Supplements 2010-2014 Strategic Plan

ACTION: Notice of Opportunity for Public Comment and Public Meetings.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) at the National 
Institutes of Health (NIH) has initiated a strategic planning process 
that will culminate in the ODS Strategic Plan for 2010-2014. To assist 
with this process, the ODS requests input from research communities--
academic, government, and industry--and from other interested parties. 
The overall purpose of the strategic planning effort is to identify 
both new opportunities and emerging needs for incorporation in the 
programmatic efforts of the Office. A background paper has been 
prepared, A Report to the Public, that summarizes progress in four key 
areas of ODS activity. The background paper and related information are 
available on the ODS Web site at http://ods.od.nih.gov/strategicplan.
    Public comment can be sent directly to ODS or through the public 
Webinars ODS will hold on January 29, 2009, February 3, 2009, February 
11, 2009, and February 19, 2009. The section on Public Participation 
(below) gives details for the Webinars.

DATES: In order to ensure full consideration, all responses must be 
submitted by midnight, March 31, 2009.

ADDRESSES: Interested individuals and organizations should submit their 
responses to [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Julia B. Freeman, Ph.D., Office of 
Dietary Supplements, National Institutes of Health, 6100 Executive 
Boulevard, Room 3B01, Bethesda, MD 20892-7517, Phone: 301-496-0187, 
Fax: 301-480-1845, E-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The mission of the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) is to 
strengthen knowledge and understanding of dietary supplements by 
evaluating scientific information, stimulating and supporting research, 
disseminating research results, and educating the public to foster an 
enhanced quality of life and health for the U.S. population. The ODS 
was established in the Office of the Director, NIH, in 1995 as a major 
provision of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 
(DSHEA). A key early activity was the development of the Strategic Plan 
for 1998-2003 to set out goals for program development. The Strategic 
Plan was prepared with considerable input from NIH Institutes and 
Centers, other Federal Agencies, consumers, and other interested 
parties. The original five-year plan was revised for 2004-2009.
    The five strategic goals for ODS have been:
    1. Expand the evaluation of the role of dietary supplements in 
disease prevention and in reduction of risk factors associated with 
disease.
    2. Foster research that evaluates the role of dietary supplements 
in maintaining and improving optimal

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physical and mental health and performance.
    3. Stimulate and support research to further understanding of the 
biochemical and cellular effects of dietary supplements on biological 
systems and their physiological impact across the life cycle.
    4. Promote and support the development and improvement of 
methodologies appropriate to the scientific study of dietary supplement 
ingredients.
    5. Expand and conduct outreach efforts that inform and educate the 
public, health care providers, and scientists about the benefits and 
risks of dietary supplements.
    ODS is re-examining its Strategic Plan and desires public comment 
on the progress of its programs and on future needs and opportunities 
for program activities. A background paper, A Report to the Public, has 
been prepared that summarizes progress in four key areas of ODS 
activities. ODS solicits comments on and suggestions for its future 
activities. The background paper and related information are available 
on the ODS Web site at http://ods.od.nih.gov/strategicplan. Guidance is 
being requested from all interested parties on these important issues.
     Are the current strategic goals adequate?
     Is ODS meeting its stakeholders' needs?
     In the future, should some of ODS's current programs or 
activities be given higher (or lower) priority?
     How can ODS more effectively provide useful information to 
the ODS user community, including consumers, investigators, 
practitioners, industry, media, policy makers, government, and other 
interested parties?

Public Participation

    ODS will hold a series of four Webinars at the times and topics 
listed below to hear comments on and suggestions for ODS initiatives 
for possible inclusion in the 2010-2014 ODS Strategic Plan. The topic 
is taken from the four areas described in the background paper, A 
Report to the Public. Each Webinar will begin with brief comments by a 
Federal partner and a stakeholder on the topic of that Webinar. The 
remainder of each Webinar will be devoted to hearing public comments.
    Research Support--Thursday, January 29, 2009, 1-2 p.m. EST.
    Research support is through cofunding of NIH grants, including 
botanical research centers, individual research grants, training, and 
conferences.
    Research Tools--Tuesday, February 3, 2009, 2-3 p.m. EST.
    Research tools refers to the promotion and support for the 
development and improvement of methodologies appropriate to the 
scientific study of dietary supplement ingredients, including analytic 
methodologies and reference materials, surveys of dietary supplement 
use, databases to analyze survey results, and evidence-based reviews of 
key dietary supplements.
    Science-Policy--Wednesday, February 11, 2009, 1-2 p.m. EST.
    Science-policy covers current ODS collaborations to collect 
information on scientific issues that is needed for policy discussions. 
Three current collaborations include the vitamin D initiative, the use 
of dietary supplements by military personnel, and nutrient reference 
intake values.
    Communications--Thursday, February 19, 2009, 2-3 p.m. EST.
    Communications includes outreach and education on dietary 
supplements through the ODS Web site and information developed by fact 
sheets, newsletters, and through databases on scientific literature and 
research on dietary supplements.
    The Webinars are open to the public with attendance limited by 
individual access to the Internet and a phone and by the availability 
of open teleconference phone lines. Members of the public who wish to 
make an oral comment should indicate this when registering for the 
meeting. Instructions for registering can be found on the ODS Web site: 
http://ods.od.nih.gov/strategicplan.
    Oral comments will be limited to three minutes and may be 
accompanied by a PowerPoint presentation provided that the presentation 
is submitted no later than 2 days before the scheduled Webinar. 
Individuals who register to speak will be assigned in the order in 
which they registered. Due to time constraints, only one representative 
from each organization will be allotted time for oral presentation. If 
time permits, those who wish to make a brief oral statement and have 
not pre-registered to make a comment, will be able to do so.
    Archives of the Webinars will be posted on the ODS Web site and may 
be viewed at any time. We encourage individuals unable to participate 
in a live Webinar and all interested parties to send written comments 
by mail, fax, or electronically (see CONTACT INFORMATION, above.) When 
mailing or faxing written comments, please provide, if possible, an 
electronic version via e-mail.

    Dated: November 10, 2008.
Paul M. Coates,
Director, Office of Dietary Supplements, Office of the Director, 
National Institutes of Health.
 [FR Doc. E8-27791 Filed 11-21-08; 8:45 am]
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