[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 186 (Thursday, September 25, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57557-57558]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-22752]



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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60 Day-14-0765]


Proposed Data Collections Submitted for Public Comment and 
Recommendations

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as part of 
its continuing effort to reduce public burden, invites the general 
public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment 
on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by 
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. To request more information on the 
below proposed project or to obtain a copy of the information 
collection plan and instruments, call 404-639-7570 or send comments to 
Leroy A. Richardson, 1600 Clifton Road, MS-D74, Atlanta, GA 30333 or 
send an email to [email protected].
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) approval. Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed 
collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of 
the functions of the agency, including whether the information shall 
have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of 
the burden of the proposed collection of information; (c) ways to 
enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be 
collected; (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of 
information on respondents, including through the use of automated 
collection techniques or other forms of information technology; and (e) 
estimates of capital or start-up costs and costs of operation, 
maintenance, and purchase of services to provide information. Burden 
means the total time, effort, or financial resources expended by 
persons to generate, maintain, retain, disclose or provide information 
to or for a Federal agency. This includes the time needed to review 
instructions; to develop, acquire, install and utilize technology and 
systems for the purpose of collecting, validating and verifying 
information, processing and maintaining information, and disclosing and 
providing information; to train personnel and to be able to respond to 
a collection of information, to search data sources, to complete and 
review the collection of information; and to transmit or otherwise 
disclose the information. Written comments should be received within 60 
days of this notice.

Proposed Project

    Fellowship Management System (OMB No. 0920-0765, expires 02/28/
2015)--Revision--Division of Scientific Education and Professional 
Development (DSEPD), Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology, and 
Laboratory Services (CSELS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
(CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    DSEPD requests an additional three years to continue CDC's use of 
the Fellowship Management System (FMS) for its electronic application, 
host site, and directory processes that allow individuals to apply to 
fellowships online, allow public health agencies to submit fellowship 
assignment proposals online, and track applicant and alumni 
information. An extension will allow applicants, public health 
agencies, and alumni continued use of FMS for submission of electronic 
data.
    The mission of DSEPD is to improve health outcomes through a 
competent, sustainable, and empowered public health workforce. 
Professionals in public health, epidemiology, medicine, economics, 
information science, veterinary medicine, nursing, public policy, and 
other related professionals seek opportunities, through CDC 
fellowships, to broaden their knowledge, skills, and experience to 
improve the science and practice of public health. CDC fellows are 
assigned to state, tribal, local, and territorial public health 
agencies; federal government agencies, including CDC and Department of 
Health and Human Services' (HHS) operational divisions, such as Centers 
for Medicare & Medicaid Services; and to nongovernmental organizations, 
including academic institutions, tribal organizations, and private 
public health organizations.
    FMS provides an efficient and effective electronic mechanism for 
collecting and processing fellowship application data and fellowship 
host site assignment proposals; selecting qualified candidates; 
matching selected fellowship host site assignments with applicants; 
maintaining a current alumni database; generating reports; and 
documenting the impact of fellowships on alumni careers. FMS optimizes 
CDC's ability to provide continuous fellowship service delivery that 
builds and sustains public health capacity and helps to save lives and 
protect people from health threats. This proposed extension allows CDC 
to continue to use standardized electronic tools for streamlined 
collection of fellowship applications and fellowship assignment 
proposals, in the process collecting alumni information that will be 
used to document the impact of public health fellowships on career 
paths and on the science and practice of public health.
    This information collection request was established to support 
making contextual non-substantive changes to application and host site 
questions and directions to accurately reflect evolving fellowship 
eligibility requirements, provide clarification of existing questions, 
and accommodate changing needs of host organizations. Non-substantive 
changes of this nature will be requested with this extension to 
include, e.g., supporting the submission of electronic transcripts and 
letters of recommendation in lieu of postal delivery; refining selected 
questions to align with current fellowship eligibility requirements; 
and clarifying instructions in response to user feedback. DSEPD/CSELS 
will be eliminating the data collection for two fellowships that are 
being discontinued (the Public Health Prevention Specialist Program and 
the CDC Experience Applied Epidemiology Fellowship). No change in 
burden to individual respondents will result from these non-substantive 
changes.
    The annual burden table has been updated to reflect the number of 
respondents from nonfederal fellowship applicants, public health 
agencies, and fellowship alumni. There is no cost to respondents other 
than their time.

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                                                            Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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                                                                                                                              Average
                                                                                             Number of       Number of      burden per     Total burden
               Type of respondent                               Form name                   respondents   responses  per   response (in        hours
                                                                                                             respondent       hours)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Public health agency or organization...........  Fellowship Management System Host Site.             394               1           85/60             558
Fellowship applicants..........................  Fellowship Management System                      1,961               1           40/60           1,307
                                                  Application.
Fellowship alumni*.............................  Fellowship Management System Directory.           1,382               1           15/60             346
                                                                                         ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total......................................  .......................................  ..............  ..............  ..............           2,211
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Some alumni are deceased or cannot be located. Response burden assumes response from an individual responding alumnus, on average, every three years
  (which is a likely overestimate of frequency).


Leroy A. Richardson,
Chief, Information Collection Review Office, Office of Scientific 
Integrity, Office of the Associate Director for Science, Office of the 
Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2014-22752 Filed 9-24-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P