[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 75 (Thursday, April 18, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23261-23262]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-08935]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality


Solicitation for Nominations for Members of the U.S. Preventive 
Services Task Force (USPSTF)

AGENCY: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), HHS.

ACTION: Solicits nominations for new members of USPSTF.

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SUMMARY: The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) invites 
nominations of individuals qualified to serve as members of the U.S. 
Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF).

DATES: All nominations submitted in writing or electronically will be 
considered for appointment to the USPSTF. Nominations must be received 
by May 15th of a given year to be considered for appointment to begin 
in January of the following year.

Arrangement for Public Inspection

    Nominations and applications are kept on file at the Center for 
Primary Care, Prevention, and Clinical Partnerships, AHRQ, and are 
available for review during business hours. AHRQ does not reply to 
individual nominations, but considers all nominations in selecting 
members. Information regarded as private and personal, such as a 
nominee's social security number, home and email addresses, home 
telephone and fax numbers, or names of family members will not be 
disclosed to the public (in accord with the Freedom of Information Act, 
5 U.S.C. 552(b)(6); 45 CFR 5.67).

ADDRESSES: Submit your responses either in writing or electronically 
to:

Robert Cosby, ATTN: USPSTF Nominations, Center for Primary Care, 
Prevention, and Clinical Partnerships, Agency for Healthcare Research 
and Quality, 540 Gaither Road, Rockville, Maryland 20850, 
[email protected].

Nomination Submissions

    Nominations may be submitted in writing or electronically, but must 
include:
    (1) The applicant's current curriculum vitae and contact 
information, including mailing address, email address, and telephone 
number, and
    (2) a letter explaining how this individual meets the qualification 
requirements and how he/she would contribute to the USPSTF. The letter 
should also attest to the nominee's willingness to serve as a member of 
the USPSTF.
    AHRQ will later ask persons under serious consideration for USPSTF 
membership to provide detailed information that will permit evaluation 
of possible significant conflicts of interest. Such information will 
concern matters such as financial holdings, consultancies, and research 
grants or contracts.

Nominee Selection

    Appointments to the USPSTF will be made on the basis of 
qualifications as outlined below (see Qualification Requirements) and 
the current expertise needs of the USPSTF.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Robert Cosby at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Under Title IX of the Public Health Service Act, AHRQ is charged 
with enhancing the quality, appropriateness, and effectiveness of 
health care services and access to such services. 42 U.S.C. 299(b). 
AHRQ accomplishes these goals through scientific research and promotion 
of improvements in clinical practice, including clinical prevention of 
diseases and other health conditions, and improvements in the 
organization, financing, and delivery of health care services. See 42 
U.S.C. 299(b).
    The USPSTF, an independent body of experts in prevention and 
evidence-based medicine, works to improve the health of all Americans 
by making evidence-based recommendations about the effectiveness of 
clinical preventive services and health promotion. The recommendations 
made by the USPSTF address clinical preventive services for adults and 
children, and include screening tests, counseling services, and 
preventive medications.
    The USPSTF was first established in 1984 under the auspices of the 
U.S. Public Health Service. Currently, the USPSTF is convened by the 
Director of AHRQ, and AHRQ provides ongoing administrative, research 
and technical support for the USPSTF's operation. USPSTF members serve 
for four year terms. New members are selected each year to replace 
those members who are completing their appointments.
    The USPSTF is charged with rigorously evaluating the effectiveness, 
cost-effectiveness and appropriateness of clinical preventive services 
and formulating or updating recommendations regarding the appropriate 
provision of preventive services. See 42 U.S.C. 299b-4(a)(1). AHRQ is 
charged with supporting the dissemination of USPSTF recommendations. In 
addition to hard copy materials (that may be obtained from the AHRQ 
Publications Clearinghouse), current USPSTF recommendations and 
associated evidence reviews are available on the Internet 
(www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org).
    USPSTF members meet three times a year for two days in the 
Washington, DC area. A significant portion of the USPSTF's work occurs 
between meetings during conference calls and via email discussions. 
Member duties include prioritizing topics, designing research plans, 
reviewing and commenting on systematic evidence reviews of evidence, 
discussing and making recommendations on preventive-services, reviewing 
stakeholder comments, drafting final recommendation documents, and 
participating in workgroups on specific topics and methods. Members can 
expect to receive frequent emails, can expect to participate in 
multiple conference calls each month, and can expect to have periodic 
interaction with stakeholders. AHRQ estimates that members devote 
approximately 200 hours a year outside of in-person meetings to their 
USPSTF duties. The members are all volunteers and do not receive any 
compensation beyond support for travel to in person meetings.
    Nominated individuals will be selected for the USPSTF on the basis 
of their qualifications (in particular, those that address the required 
qualifications, outlined below) and the current expertise needs of the 
USPSTF. It is anticipated that three to four individuals will be 
invited to serve on the USPSTF beginning in January 2014. All 
individuals will be considered; however, strongest consideration will 
be

[[Page 23262]]

given in 2014 to individuals with demonstrated training and expertise 
in the areas of behavioral medicine, internal medicine, nursing, 
obstetrics/gynecology and pediatrics. AHRQ will retain and may consider 
nominations received this year and not selected during this cycle for 
future vacancies.
    To obtain a diversity of perspectives, AHRQ particularly encourages 
nominations of women, members of minority populations, and persons with 
disabilities. Interested individuals can self nominate. Organizations 
and individuals may nominate one or more persons qualified for 
membership on the USPSTF at any time. Individuals nominated prior to 
May 15, 2012, who continue to have interest in serving on the USPSTF, 
should be re-nominated.
    Qualification Requirements: To qualify for the USPSTF and support 
its mission, an applicant or nominee must, at a minimum, demonstrate 
knowledge, expertise and national leadership in the following areas:
    1. The critical evaluation of research published in peer reviewed 
literature and in the methods of evidence review;
    2. Clinical prevention, health promotion and primary health care; 
and
    3. Implementation of evidence-based recommendations in clinical 
practice including at the clinician-patient level, practice level, and 
health system level.
    Some USPSTF members without primary health care clinical experience 
may be selected based on their expertise in methodological issues such 
as meta-analysis, analytic modeling or clinical epidemiology. For 
individuals with clinical expertise in primary health care, additional 
qualifications in methodology would enhance their candidacy.
    Additionally, the Task Force benefits from members with expertise 
in the following areas:
     Public health
     Health equity and the reduction of health disparities
     Application of science to health policy
     Communication of scientific findings to multiple audiences 
including health care professionals, policy makers and the general 
public.
    Candidates with experience and skills in any of these areas should 
highlight them in their nomination materials.
    Applicants must have no substantial conflicts of interest, whether 
financial, professional, or intellectual, that would impair the 
scientific integrity of the work of the USPSTF and must be willing to 
complete regular conflict of interest disclosures.
    Applicants must have the ability to work collaboratively with a 
team of diverse professionals who support the mission of the USPSTF. 
Applicants must have adequate time to contribute substantively to the 
work products of the USPSTF.

    Dated: April 8, 2013.
Carolyn M. Clancy,
Director.
[FR Doc. 2013-08935 Filed 4-17-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-90-M