[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 75 (Tuesday, April 21, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18244-18245]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-9131]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health


Notice of Meeting; Moving Into the Future--New Dimensions and 
Strategies for Women's Health Research for the National Institutes of 
Health

    Notice is hereby given that the Office of Research on Women's 
Health (ORWH), Office of the Director, National Institutes of Health, 
Department of Health and Human Services, in collaboration with the 
Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at the 
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), will convene a public 
hearing and scientific workshop on May 27-29, 2009, at the UCSF, 
Mission Bay Conference Center, San Francisco, California.

Purpose of the Meeting

    With rapid advances in science and wider global understanding of 
women's health and sex/gender contributions to well-being and disease, 
the purpose of the meeting is to ensure that NIH continues to support 
cutting edge women's health research that is based upon the most 
advanced techniques and methodologies. The meeting format is designed 
to promote an interactive discussion involving leading scientists, 
advocacy groups, public policy experts, health care providers, and the 
general public. The San Francisco meeting is the second in a series 
that will be convened throughout the Nation to assist the ORWH and the 
NIH to move into the next decade of women's health research.
    As science and technology advance and fields such as computational 
biology demonstrate the power of interdisciplinary research, it remains 
critical for sex and gender factors to be integrated into broad 
experimental methodologies and scientific approaches such as stem cell 
research. Biomedical and behavioral research are also necessary to 
understand how cultural, ethnic, and racial differences influence the 
causes, diagnosis, progression, treatment, and outcome of disease among 
different populations, including women of diverse geographic locations 
and socioeconomic backgrounds. Furthermore, health differences among 
diverse populations of women remain a critical area in need of 
continued focus and attention.
    The ORWH challenges all meeting attendees to assist the NIH in 
defining the women's health research agenda of the future, thinking 
beyond traditional women's health issues. The attendees need to 
identify creative strategies and areas of research that are best poised 
for advancement, address innovative ways to approach persistent issues 
of health and disease, and explore new scientific concepts and 
investigative approaches. The attendees need to pay attention to new 
areas of science application, new technologies, and continuing basic 
science investigations. The attendees should also consider clinical 
questions that are not currently the focus of research priorities to 
ensure that women's health research is optimally served and that the 
ORWH can continue to provide leadership for the benefit of women's 
health, nationally and internationally.

Meeting Format

    The meeting will consist of public testimony, scientific panels, 
and six concurrent scientific working groups. Specifically, on May 27, 
individuals representing a full spectrum of organizations interested in 
biomedical and behavioral research on women's health issues will have 
an opportunity to provide public testimony from 2-6 p.m. On May 28 and 
29, plenary sessions will focus on the intersection of health care, 
public policy, and biomedical research; on emerging issues and trends 
in health care; and on research paradigms of the future. The six 
concurrent afternoon sessions on May 28 will focus on a range of 
research areas, including global health, stem cell research, 
environmental health and reproduction, HIV/AIDS and women, information 
technology, and women in biomedical careers. On May 29, the morning 
session will be devoted to reports by the working group co-chairs 
regarding the recommendations emerging from working group deliberations 
on the previous day. The meeting will adjourn at 1 p.m. on May 29.

Public Testimony

    ORWH invites individuals with an interest in research related to 
women's health to provide written and/or oral testimony on these topics 
and/or on issues related to the sustained advancement of women in 
biomedical careers. Due to time constraints, only one representative 
from an organization or professional specialty group may submit oral 
testimony. Individuals not representing an organized entity but a 
personal point of view are similarly invited to present written and/or 
oral testimony. A letter of intent to present oral testimony is 
necessary and should be sent electronically to http://www.orwhmeetings.com/movingintothefuture/ or by mail to Ms. Jory 
Barone, Educational Services, Inc., 4350 East-West Highway, Suite 1100, 
Bethesda, MD 20814, no later than May 15, 2009. The date of receipt of 
the communication will establish the order of those selected to give 
oral testimony at the May meeting.
    Those wishing to present oral testimony are also asked to submit a 
written form of their testimony that is limited to a maximum of 10 
pages, double spaced, 12 point font, and should include a brief 
description of the organization. Electronic submission to the above Web 
site is preferred; however, for those who do not have access to 
electronic means, written testimony, bound by the restrictions 
previously noted and postmarked no later than May 15, 2009, may be 
mailed to Ms. Jory Barone at the above address. All written 
presentations must meet the established page limitations. Submissions 
exceeding this limit will not be accepted and will be returned. Oral 
testimony of this material at the meeting will be limited to no more 
than 5-7 minutes in length.
    Because of time constraints for oral testimony, testifiers may not 
be able to present the complete information as it is contained in their 
written form submitted for inclusion in the public record of the 
meeting. Therefore,

[[Page 18245]]

testifiers are requested to summarize the major points of emphasis from 
the written testimony, not to exceed 7 minutes of oral testimony. Those 
individuals and/or organizations who have indicated that they will 
present oral testimony at the meeting in San Francisco will be notified 
prior to the meeting regarding the approximate time for their oral 
presentation.
    Individuals and organizations wishing to provide written statements 
only should send a copy of their statements, electronically or by mail, 
to the above Web site or address by May 15, 2009. Written testimony 
received by that date will be made available at the May 27-29 meeting. 
Logistics questions related to the May meeting should be addressed to 
Ms. Jory Barone at ESI, while program-specific questions should be 
addressed to Ms. Jennifer Millis at the University of California, San 
Francisco, 415-502-2563, [email protected].
    This meeting is the second of four regional public hearings and 
scientific workshops of similar design to be convened by the ORWH. At 
the conclusion of the regional meetings, the ORWH will hold a meeting 
at the NIH to develop a summation of the deliberations from the 
regional meetings. The resulting report to the ORWH and the NIH will 
ensure that women's health research in the coming decade continues to 
support a vigorous research agenda incorporating the latest advances in 
technology and cutting edge science.

    Dated: April 14, 2009.
Raynard S. Kington,
Acting Director, National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. E9-9131 Filed 4-20-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P