[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 237 (Tuesday, December 11, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63661-63662]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-26756]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES


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

AGENCY: Office of HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Policy, Office of the 
Assistant Secretary for Health, Office of the Secretary, Department of 
Health and Human Services.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Office of Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH) is seeking 
nominations of qualified individuals 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. 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 4:00 p.m. ET on 
Friday, December 28 2018 at the address listed below.

ADDRESSES: All nominations should be sent to the ACBTSA email address 
at [email protected]. Alternatively, nominations can be mailed or 
delivered to: Mr. James Berger, Senior Advisor for Blood and Tissue 
Policy, Office of Assistant Secretary for Health, Department of Health 
and Human Services, 330 C Street SW, Room L001 Switzer Building, 
Washington, DC 20201. Telephone: (202) 795-7608; Email [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. James Berger, Senior Advisor for 
Blood and Tissue 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

[[Page 63662]]

accessing the ACBTSA website at http://www.hhs.gov/bloodsafety.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The ACBTSA provides advice to the Secretary 
through the Assistant Secretary for Health. The Committee advises on a 
range of policy issues to include: (1) Broad public health, ethical and 
legal issues related to transfusion and transplantation safety, (2) 
risk communications related to blood transfusion and tissue 
transplantation, and (3) the identification of public health issues 
that affect the availability of blood, blood products, and tissues.
    The Committee consists of 23 voting members; 14 public members, 
including the Chair, and nine (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, 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 representatives are selected 
to serve the interests of the blood, blood products, tissue and organ 
professional organizations or business sectors. The representative 
members are selected from the following groups: The AABB (formerly the 
American Association of Blood Banks); American Association of Tissue 
Banks; Eye Bank Association of America; Association of Organ 
Procurement Organizations; and one of either the American Red Cross or 
America's Blood Centers. 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; a major hospital organization; or a major 
hospital accreditation organization. Where more than one company 
produces a specified product or process, representatives from those 
companies shall 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 five public member positions on the ACBTSA.

Nominations

    In accordance with the charter, persons nominated for appointment 
as members of the ACBTSA should be among authorities knowledgeable in 
blood banking, tissue banking, transfusion medicine, organ or tissue 
transplantation, plasma therapies, transfusion and transplantation 
safety, bioethics, socioeconomics, health policy/law, 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.
    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 and, 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 
special government employees (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: October 19, 2018.
James J. Berger,
Senior Advisor for Blood and Tissue Policy, Designated Federal Officer, 
Advisory Committee on Blood and Tissue Safety and Availability.
[FR Doc. 2018-26756 Filed 12-10-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4150-41-P