[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 228 (Monday, November 28, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 85581-85583]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-28497]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
National Institutes of Health
Announcement of Requirements and Registration for ``Storytelling
About Health and Wellness in American Indian and Alaska Native
Communities'' Challenge
Authority: 15 U.S.C. 3719.
SUMMARY: In recognition of Native American Heritage Month, the Tribal
Health Research Office in the Division of Program Coordination,
Planning, and Strategic Initiatives, in the Office of the Director of
the National Institutes of Health (NIH), announces the ``Storytelling
about Health and Wellness in American Indian and Alaska Native
Communities'' Challenge. The goal of this Challenge is to develop a
brief digital story (i.e., a video) that communicates how traditions
and heritage promote health in American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/
AN).
DATES: The Challenge begins November 28, 2016.
Submission Period: November 28, 2016 to January 31, 2017.
Judging Period: February 1, 2017 to February 24, 2017.
Winners announced: Week of March 6, 2017.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Please contact NIH's Tribal Health
Research Office at [email protected] or 301-402-9852 with
questions about this challenge.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Statutory Authority to Conduct the Challenge: This challenge is
consistent with the statutory authority of the Division of Program
Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives, National Institutes
of Health. The Division identifies research that represents important
areas of emerging scientific opportunities, rising public
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health challenges, or knowledge gaps that deserve special emphasis and
would benefit from conducting or supporting additional research that
involves collaboration between two or more national research institutes
or national centers, or would otherwise benefit from strategic
coordination and planning. As part of this authority, the Division
oversees the Tribal Health Research Office, whose function includes
managing information dissemination related to tribal health research
coordination. The winning videos submitted for this challenge will help
communicate about health and wellness of AI/AN communities. The NIH is
also conducting this challenge under the America COMPETES
Reauthorization Act of 2010 (Pub. L. 111-358), codified at 15 U.S.C.
3719.
Subject of Challenge: Tribal communities are revered for preserving
their culture and passing on their history, customs, and traditions
through their use of vivid, verbal narratives. Storytelling is an
enriching tradition that serves to entertain, educate, and inspire.
To commemorate Native American Heritage Month, the NIH wishes to
celebrate the use of storytelling to convey stories of health and
wellness. The AI/AN population has long experienced a disparity in
certain health conditions compared with other Americans. AI/AN
communities have higher rates of diseases and disorders across several
areas of health such as: diabetes, chronic liver disease, certain
cancers, mental health, and substance use (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr65/nvsr65_05.pdf and http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/disparities/cancer-health-disparities). Factors known to
contribute to health status and disparities are complex, and include
social and historical factors, ethnicity, culture, historical trauma,
socioeconomic status, gender/sex, age, geographical access to care, and
levels of insurance as well as underlying biology, physiology, and
genetics. The NIH hopes that this Challenge will incentivize the public
to showcase the strengths and resilience of these communities, their
heritage and traditions, and how their culture promotes their health
and well-being.
The NIH invites the public to participate in this challenge to
share stories about: (1) How heritage and tradition leads to health and
wellness in AI/AN communities; and (2) how future research can improve
the health of American Indians and Alaska Natives. The videos will
augment the agency's ongoing efforts to inform a strengthened research
portfolio that advances AI/AN research needs. This challenge is also
designed to attract more interest and attention to the research needs
of these communities and communicate these needs in a culturally
appropriate manner.
Eligibility Rules for Participating in the Challenge; Official
Rules: The Challenge is open to any ``Contestant.'' A ``Contestant''
may be (i) an entity, or (ii) an individual or group of individuals
(i.e., a team), each of whom is a U.S. citizen or permanent resident of
the United States and 18 years of age or older. For example,
Contestants may be communities or community members, schools,
organizations, research participants, and others. Contestants may
submit more than one entry.
1. To be eligible to win a prize under this Challenge, the
Contestant--
a. Shall have registered to participate in the Challenge under the
rules promulgated by the NIH as published in this notice;
b. Shall have complied with all the requirements set forth in this
notice;
c. In the case of a private entity, shall be incorporated in and
maintain a primary place of business in the United States, and in the
case of an individual, whether participating singly or in a group,
shall be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States;
d. May not be a federal entity; Tribal governments and employees
are eligible to submit;
e. May not be a federal employee acting within the scope of the
employee's employment and, further, in the case of Department of Health
and Human Services employees, may not work on their submission(s)
during assigned duty hours. Federal employees seeking to participate in
this Challenge outside the scope of their employment should consult
their ethics official prior to developing their submission;
f. May not be an employee of the NIH, a member of the technical
evaluation panel or judge of the Challenge, or any other party involved
with the design, production, execution, or distribution of the
Challenge or the immediate family of such a party (i.e., spouse,
parent, step-parent, sibling, step-sibling, child, or step-child).
2. Federal grantees may not use federal funds to develop their
Challenge submissions.
3. Federal contractors may not use federal funds from a contract to
develop their Challenge submissions or to fund efforts in support of
their Challenge submissions.
4. Submissions must not infringe upon any copyright or any other
rights of any third party.
5. By participating in this Challenge, a Contestant agrees to
assume any and all risks and waive claims against the federal
government and its related entities (as defined in the COMPETES Act),
except in the case of willful misconduct, for any injury, death,
damage, or loss of property, revenue, or profits, whether direct,
indirect, or consequential, arising from participation in this
Challenge, whether the injury, death, damage, or loss arises through
negligence or otherwise.
6. Based on the subject matter of the Challenge, the type of work
that it will possibly require, as well as an analysis of the likelihood
of any claims for death, bodily injury, property damage, or loss
potentially resulting from Challenge participation, Contestants are not
required to obtain liability insurance or demonstrate financial
responsibility in order to participate in this Challenge.
7. By participating in this Challenge, each Contestant agrees to
indemnify the federal government against third-party claims for damages
arising from or related to Challenge activities.
8. A Contestant shall not be deemed ineligible because the
individual or entity used federal facilities or consulted with federal
employees during the Challenge if the facilities and employees are made
available to all Contestants participating in the Challenge on an
equitable basis.
9. By participating in this Challenge, each Contestant grants to
the NIH irrevocable, paid-up, royalty-free, nonexclusive worldwide
license to post, link to, share, and display publicly on the web the
submitted document. Each participant will retain all other intellectual
property rights in their submissions, as applicable.
10. The NIH reserves the right to (a) cancel, suspend, modify the
Challenge, and/or (b) not award any prizes if no entries are deemed
worthy.
11. Each Contestant agrees to follow all applicable federal, state,
and local laws, regulations, and policies.
12. Each Contestant participating in this Challenge must comply
with all terms and conditions of these rules, and participation in this
Challenge constitutes each such participant's full and unconditional
agreement to abide by these rules. Winning is contingent upon
fulfilling all requirements herein.
Registration and Submission Process for Participants: The
registration and submission process for entering the Challenge can be
found at: https://dpcpsi.nih.gov/thro/news and at https://www.challenge.gov/.
Submission Requirements: The submission is a video that describes:
(1) How heritage and tradition leads to
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health and wellness in AI/AN communities; and (2) how future research
can improve the health of American Indians and Alaska Natives.
Submissions are limited to a video that may not exceed five
minutes. Winning entries may be posted on the NIH Web site. Submissions
must be substantially free of scientific jargon and understandable by
viewers without scientific/technical backgrounds. The video must
include at least one member of a federally recognized tribe(s) and
address the following:
A brief historical background that puts the story in
context. For example, what is the traditional or cultural practice? How
does it contribute to health and wellness in AI/AN populations?
A description of how this tradition or culture affects
people's lives. The impact could be lives saved, suffering reduced,
fewer visits to health care facilities, adopting a healthier lifestyle,
and similar such benefits. How is this practice promoted within tribal
populations?
Information about the unmet health and wellness needs of
AI/AN communities. What is the unmet need? Is there an understanding of
what interventions or actions may help address these needs?
A discussion of how biomedical or behavioral research can
further Tribal health and wellness. What are the current gaps in Tribal
health research and opportunities for improving health in AI/AN
communities? What are some of the barriers or challenges in closing
these gaps? How would addressing them reduce mortality, improve quality
of life, or otherwise positively affect Tribal communities? The video
must convey the research question of interest as part of a holistic
picture of Tribal health or AI/AN communities.
Contestants may submit more than one entry. However, the cultural
and traditional practices and research described in each submission
must be distinct. If a Contestant enters substantially similar
submissions, as determined by the NIH, the agency may disqualify the
later entries or require the Contestant to choose one entry to enter
into the Challenge.
Contestants must include a link to a public or unlisted video on
YouTube.com, Vimeo.com, or other internet accessible site. The
submission may be disqualified if the video is commercially
promotional, contains inappropriate material or language, or presents
material unrelated to this challenge, as determined by the NIH. A video
must:
Be in English, if dialogue is present. Use of Native
language is encouraged but must include an English caption or other
method of translation to English.
Be no longer than five minutes. The NIH recognizes that
there may be a desire to prepare a longer video. However, any part of a
video exceeding five minutes will be disregarded as part of the judging
process.
Not include copyrighted material, such as music or photos,
unless the Contestant has obtained written permission to use such
material.
Not include proprietary information.
Include captioning or submission of a written transcript
in English for any video with dialogue, to ensure the video can be
understood by viewers with disabilities.
[cir] The video must remain posted at the URL submitted with the
entry for at least one year after the Challenge closes. The video (or
the link to it) may be displayed publicly on the NIH Web site.
[cir] Before posting a video online, a Contestant must obtain
consent from anyone appearing in the video. If a minor appears in the
video, the contestant must obtain consent from the minor's parent or
legal guardian.
Amount of the Prize: The Challenge will have no more than five
winning submissions. Winning submissions will receive an award and
recognition on the NIH Tribal Health Research Office Web site and
possibly other NIH outlets. The first place winner will receive $4,000;
second place will receive $3,000; third place will receive $2,000; and
two honorable mentions will each receive $500. The first place winner
will also be invited to an upcoming meeting of the NIH Tribal
Consultation Advisory Committee. Travel will be reimbursed for those
invitees. If two or more submissions describe the same general advance
and are judged to be equally meritorious, the prize will go to either
the first submitted submission or the prize will be split between or
among the Contestants at the discretion of the NIH. If a team submits a
winning entry, a single prize will be awarded to that team to divide
amongst the winners, as determined by that entrant. Winning is
contingent upon fulfilling all requirements of the Challenge rules. The
name, city, state, and submission of winning Contestants will be posted
on the NIH Tribal Health Research Office Web site.
The award-approving official will be the NIH Deputy Director for
Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives. The winners
will be notified by email, telephone, or mail after the date of the
judging. Prizes awarded under this Challenge will be paid by electronic
funds transfer and may be subject to federal income taxes. The NIH will
comply with the Internal Revenue Service withholding and reporting
requirements, where applicable.
Basis Upon Which Submissions Will Be Evaluated: This section
describes judging criteria and the evaluation process. Submissions
first will be assessed by a technical evaluation panel consisting of
individuals who will review the relevance of the entry to the AI/AN
communities, the accuracy of the advance and impact on AI/ANs, cultural
sensitivity, and confirmation of the unmet research need(s) in AI/AN
populations. The technical evaluation panel will forward its assessment
of each submission to a qualified judging panel composed of NIH program
directors and other federal employees involved in AI/AN research. The
judging panel will evaluate all submissions and recommend winners based
on the assessments from the technical evaluation panel and the
following judging criteria:
Quality, clarity, and historical accuracy. Is the
information presented accurately and clearly?
Impact. Is the story educational, inspiring, and
persuasive? Does it clearly convey how the culture or tradition being
practiced promotes health and wellness? Does it clearly convey where
research could continue to improve health and well-being?
Originality. The Challenge submission cannot have been
previously published.
Digital technology. Does the video effectively use
lighting, sound, and editing to tell the story? Is the dialogue clear
and easy to understand? Do visual effects (if any) contribute to the
message or detract from it? Does the video convey the intended message
in the five minute limit? Is the video of sufficient quality to be
posted on the Web? Is captioning or English translation available?
Additional Information: If Contestants choose to provide the NIH
with personal information by providing a submission to this Challenge,
that information will be used to respond to Contestants in matters
regarding their submission, announcements of entry, finalists, and
winners of the Challenge.
Dated: November 19, 2016
Lawrence A. Tabak,
Deputy Director, National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. 2016-28497 Filed 11-25-16; 8:45 am]
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