[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 226 (Tuesday, November 24, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73191-73193]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-29882]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention


Request for Nominations of Candidates To Serve as Members of the 
Community Preventive Services Task Force (CPSTF); Reopening of 
Nomination Period

AGENCY: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of 
Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) within 
the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announces the 
reopening of the nomination period for individuals qualified to serve 
as members of the Community Preventive Services Task Force (CPSTF). The 
nomination period originally closed on November 9, 2015.

DATES: Nomination packages must be received by December 8, 2015. 
Complete nomination packages must be submitted by the deadline in order 
to be considered. Individuals who submitted a nomination package during 
the original nomination period do not need to re-submit their 
nomination package to be considered.

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ADDRESSES: Nomination packages should be submitted electronically to 
[email protected] or by U.S. mail to the address provided below in FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Donyelle Russ, Center for 
Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services, Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road NE., MS E-69, 
Atlanta, Georgia 30329. Phone (404) 498-3971, email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On September 25, 2015 HHS/CDC published a 
notice in the Federal Register (80 FR 57820) requesting nomination of 
individuals to serve on the Community Preventive Services Task Force 
(CPSTF). The closing date for nominations was November 9, 2015. Today, 
CDC is reopening the nomination period to provide the public an 
additional opportunity to nominate individuals to serve on the CPSTF. 
The submission process and qualification requirements, the selection 
process, and the time commitment of Task Force members are described 
below. Individuals who submitted a nomination package during the 
original nomination period do not need to re-submit their nomination 
package to be considered.

Nomination Submissions

    Nomination packages must be submitted electronically, and should 
include:
    (1) The nominee's current curriculum vitae;
    (2) A brief biographic sketch of the nominee;
    (3) The nominee's contact information, including mailing address, 
email address, and telephone number; and
    (4) A brief explanation of how the nominee meets the qualification 
requirements and how he/she would contribute to the CPSTF. The 
information provided should also attest to the nominee's willingness to 
serve as a member of the CPSTF.
    HHS/CDC will later ask persons under serious consideration for 
CPSTF membership to provide detailed information that will permit 
evaluation of possible significant conflicts of interest.
    To obtain diverse perspectives, HHS/CDC encourages nominations of 
all races, genders, ages and persons living with disabilities. 
Interested individuals can self-nominate. Organizations and individuals 
may nominate one or more persons qualified for membership on the CPSTF. 
Federal employees are not eligible to be CPSTF members. Individuals 
nominated prior to this round, who continue to have interest in serving 
on the CPSTF, should be re-nominated.

Qualification Requirements

    To qualify for the CPSTF and support its mission, a nominee must, 
at a minimum, demonstrate knowledge, experience, and national 
leadership in the following areas:
     The critical evaluation of research or policy, and/or in 
the methods of evidence review; and
     Research, evaluation, or implementation of community and/
or health system-based programs, policies, or services to improve 
population health.
    Strongest consideration will be given to individuals with expertise 
and experience:
     That is applied, with practical applications for public 
health action;
     That addresses broad public health considerations, or is 
beyond one or two highly defined areas;
     In state and/or local health departments; and
     With policy.
    In the current round of nominations, the strongest consideration 
will also be given to people with expertise and experience in 
systematic review methods, minority health, and aging. The CPSTF will 
also benefit from members with expertise and experience in the 
following areas: Youth populations; environmental health; injury (in 
particular substance abuse and violence prevention); media, 
communications, and marketing; public health nursing; and economic 
analysis.
    Candidates with experience and skills in any of these areas should 
highlight them in their nomination materials.
    All nominated individuals will be considered for CPSTF membership.
    Applicants must have no substantial conflicts of interest, whether 
financial, professional, or intellectual, that would impair the 
scientific integrity of the work of the CPSTF 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 CPSTF. 
Applicants must have adequate time to contribute substantively to the 
work products of the CPSTF.

Nominee Selection

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

Background of the CPSTF

    The CPSTF was established in 1996 by the U.S. Department of Health 
and Human Services (HHS) to identify population health interventions 
that are scientifically proven to save lives, increase lifespans, and 
improve quality of life. The CPSTF produces recommendations (and 
identifies evidence gaps) to help inform the decision making of 
federal, state, and local health departments, other government 
agencies, communities, healthcare providers and organizations, 
employers, schools and research organizations.
    The CPSTF (http://www.thecommunityguide.org/about/task-force-members.html), is an independent, nonpartisan, nonfederal, unpaid panel 
of public health and prevention experts that is statutorily mandated to 
provide evidence-based findings and recommendations about community 
preventive services, programs, and policies to improve health (Public 
Health Service Act Sec.  399U(a)). Its members represent a broad range 
of research, practice, and policy expertise in community preventive 
services, public health, health promotion, and disease prevention. The 
CPSTF members are appointed by the CDC Director and serve five year 
terms, with extensions possible in order to maintain a full scope of 
expertise, complete specific work, and ensure consistency of CPSTF 
methods and recommendations. CDC provides ``ongoing administrative, 
research, and technical support for the operations of the Task Force'' 
as directed by the Public Health Service Act Sec.  399U(c).
    The CPSTF bases its recommendations on rigorous, replicable 
systematic reviews of the scientific literature, which do all of the 
following:
     Evaluate the strength and limitations of published 
scientific studies about community-based health promotion and disease 
prevention programs, services, and policies;
     Assess whether the programs, services, and policies are 
effective in promoting health and preventing disease, injury, and 
disability;
     Examine the applicability of these programs, services, and 
policies to varied populations and settings; and
     Conduct economic analyses of recommended interventions.
    These systematic reviews are conducted, with CPSTF oversight, by 
scientists and subject matter experts from HHS/CDC in collaboration 
with a wide range of government, academic, policy, and practice-based 
partners.

[[Page 73193]]

CPSTF findings and recommendations and the systematic reviews on which 
they are based are available at http://www.thecommunityguide.org/index.html.

Time Commitment

    The CPSTF conducts three, two-day meetings each year that are open 
to the public. In addition, a significant portion of the CPSTF's work 
occurs between meetings during conference calls and via email 
discussions. Member duties include overseeing the process of 
prioritizing Task Force work, participating in the development and 
refinement of systematic review methods, serving as members of 
individual review teams, and issuing recommendations and findings to 
help inform the decision making process about policy, practice, 
research, and research funding in a wide range of U.S. settings. The 
estimated workload for CPSTF members is approximately 168 hours a year 
in addition to the three in-person meetings. The members are all 
volunteers and do not receive any compensation beyond support for 
travel to in-person meetings.

    Dated: November 19, 2015.
Sandra Cashman,
Acting Director, Division of the Executive Secretariat, Office of the 
Chief of Staff, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2015-29882 Filed 11-23-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4163-18-P