[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 29 (Wednesday, February 12, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8459-8460]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-02940]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES


Nominations to the Advisory Committee on Blood and Tissue Safety 
and Availability

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, Office of the 
Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services..

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH) is 
seeking nominations of qualified members of the public to be considered 
for appointment as members of the Advisory Committee on Blood and 
Tissue Safety and Availability (ACBTSA). ACBTSA is a federal advisory 
committee within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). 
Management support for the activities of this committee is the 
responsibility of the OASH. The qualified individuals will be nominated 
to the Secretary of Health and Human Services for consideration of 
appointment as members of the ACBTSA. Members of the Committee, 
including the Chair, are appointed by the Secretary. Members are 
invited to serve on the Committee for up to four-year terms.

DATES: All nominations must be received no later than 4 p.m. EST on 
March 7, 2014, at the address listed below.

ADDRESSES: All nominations should be mailed or delivered to Mr. James 
Berger, Senior Advisor for Blood and Tissue Safety Policy; Office of 
the Assistant Secretary for Health; Department of Health and Human 
Services; 1101 Wootton Parkway, Suite 250; Rockville, MD 20852. 
Telephone: (240) 453-8803.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. James Berger, Senior Advisor for 
Blood and Tissue Safety Policy. Contact information for Mr. Berger is 
provided above.
    A copy of the Committee charter and roster of the current 
membership can be obtained by contacting Mr. Berger or by accessing the 
ACBTSA Web site at http://www.hhs.gov/ash/bloodsafety/advisorycommittee/.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The ACBTSA shall provide advice to the 
Secretary through the Assistant Secretary for Health. The committee 
shall advise on a range of policy issues to include: (1) Identification 
of public health issues through surveillance of blood, and tissue 
safety issues with national biovigilance data tools; (2) identification 
of public health issues that affect availability of blood, blood 
products, and tissues; (3) broad public health, ethical and legal 
issues related to the safety of blood, blood products, and tissues; (4) 
the impact of various economic factors (e.g., product cost and supply) 
on safety and availability of blood, blood products, and tissues; (5) 
risk communications related to blood transfusion and tissue 
transplantation; and (6) identification of infectious disease 
transmission issues for blood, organs, blood stem cells and tissues.
    The Committee consists of 23 voting members; 14 public members, 
including the Chair, and 9 individuals designated to serve as official 
representative members. The public members are selected from state and 
local organizations, patient advocacy groups, provider organizations, 
academic researchers, ethicists, physicians, surgeons, scientists, risk 
communication experts, consumer advocates, legal organizations, and 
from among communities of persons who are frequent recipients of blood 
or blood products or who have received tissues or organs. The nine 
individuals who are appointed as official representative members are 
selected to serve the interests of the blood, blood products, tissue, 
and organ professional organizations or business sectors. The 
representative members will be from the AABB (formerly the American 
Association of Blood Banks); American Association of Tissue Banks; Eye 
Bank Association of America; an organ procurement organization; and one 
of either the American National Red Cross or America's Blood Centers on 
a rotating basis. The Committee composition can include additional 
representation from either the plasma protein fraction community or a 
trade organization; a manufacturer of blood, plasma, or other tissue/
organ test kits; a manufacturer of blood, plasma or other tissue/organ 
equipment; and a major hospital organization or major hospital 
accreditation organization. Where more than one company produces a 
specified product or process, representatives from those companies will 
rotate on the same schedule as public members.
    All ACBTSA members are authorized to receive the prescribed per 
diem allowance and reimbursement for travel expenses that are incurred 
to attend meetings and conduct Committee-related business, in 
accordance with Standard Government Travel Regulations. Individuals who 
are appointed to serve as public members are authorized also to receive 
a stipend for attending Committee meetings and to carry out other 
Committee-related business. Individuals who are appointed to serve as 
representative members for a particular interest group or industry are 
not authorized to receive a stipend for the performance of these 
duties.
    This announcement is to solicit nominations of qualified candidates 
to fill two (2) upcoming vacant public member positions. Public members 
on the ACBTSA are classified as special government employees (SGEs).

Nominations

    In accordance with the charter, persons nominated for appointment 
as members of the ACBTSA should be among authorities knowledgeable in 
tissue banking, tissue transplantation, tissue/organ transplant safety, 
blood banking, transfusion medicine, plasma therapies, transfusion 
safety, bioethics, and/or related disciplines. Nominations should be 
typewritten. The following information should be included in the 
package of material submitted for each individual being nominated for 
consideration of appointment: (a) The name, return address, daytime 
telephone number and affiliation(s) of the individual being nominated, 
the basis for the individual's nomination, the category for which the 
individual is being nominated, and a statement bearing an original 
signature of the nominated individual that, if appointed, he or she is 
willing to serve as a member of the committee; (b) the name, return 
address, and daytime telephone number at which the nominator may be 
contacted. Organizational nominators must identify a principal contact 
person in addition to the contact; and (c) a copy of a current 
curriculum vitae or resume for the nominated individual.
    Individuals can nominate themselves for consideration of 
appointment to the Committee. All nominations must include the required 
information. Incomplete nominations will not be processed for 
consideration. The letter from the nominator and certification of the 
nominated individual must bear original signatures; reproduced copies 
of these signatures are not acceptable.

[[Page 8460]]

    The Department is legally required to ensure that the membership of 
HHS federal advisory committees is fairly balanced in terms of points 
of view represented and the functions to be performed by the advisory 
committee. Every effort is made to ensure that the views of women, all 
ethnic and racial groups, and people with disabilities are represented 
on HHS federal advisory committees. Therefore, the Department 
encourages nominations of qualified candidates from these groups. The 
Department also encourages geographic diversity in the composition of 
the committee. Appointment to this committee shall be made without 
discrimination on the basis of age, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual 
orientation, disability, and cultural, religious, or socioeconomic 
status.
    The Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive 
Branch are applicable to individuals who are appointed as public 
members of federal advisory committees. Individuals appointed to serve 
as public members of federal advisory committees are classified as 
SGEs. SGEs are government employees for purposes of the conflict of 
interest laws. Therefore, individuals appointed to serve as public 
members of the ACBTSA are subject to an ethics review. The ethics 
review is conducted to determine if the individual has any interests 
and/or activities in the private sector that may conflict with 
performance of their official duties as a member of the Committee. 
Individuals appointed to serve as public members of the Committee will 
be required to disclose information regarding financial holdings, 
consultancies, and research grants and/or contracts.

    Dated: February 6, 2014.
James J. Berger,
Senior Advisor for Blood and Tissue Safety Policy.
[FR Doc. 2014-02940 Filed 2-11-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4150-41-P