[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 120 (Friday, June 21, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29218-29219]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-13213]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration


Solicitation of Nominations for Membership To Serve on the 
Advisory Committee on Organ Transplantation

AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Department 
of Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACTION: Request for nominations.

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SUMMARY: HRSA is seeking nominations of qualified candidates to be 
considered for appointment as members of the Advisory Committee on 
Organ Transplantation (ACOT). ACOT shall: (1) Advise the Secretary, 
acting through the HRSA Administrator, on all aspects of organ 
donation, procurement, allocation, and transplantation, and on such 
other matters that the Secretary determines; (2) advise the Secretary 
on federal efforts to maximize the number of deceased donor organs made 
available for transplantation and to support the safety of living organ 
donation; (3) at the request of the Secretary, review significant 
proposed Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) policies 
submitted for the Secretary's approval to recommend whether they should 
be made enforceable; and (4) provide expert input to the Secretary on 
the latest advances in the science of

[[Page 29219]]

transplantation, the OPTN's system of collecting, disseminating, and 
ensuring the validity, accuracy, timeliness, and usefulness of data, 
and additional medical, public health, patient safety, ethical, legal, 
financial coverage, social science, and socioeconomic issues that are 
relevant to transplantation.
    Authority: As provided by 42 CFR 121.12, the Secretary established 
ACOT. ACOT is governed by the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA; 5 
U.S.C. Appendix 2), which sets forth standards for the formation and 
use of advisory committees.

DATES: Written nominations for membership on the ACOT will be received 
continuously.

ADDRESSES: Nomination packages must be submitted to the Executive 
Secretary, ACOT, Healthcare Systems Bureau, HRSA, Room 08W60, 5600 
Fishers Lane, Rockville, Maryland 20857. Federal Express, Airborne, 
UPS, etc., mail delivery should be addressed to Executive Secretary, 
Advisory Committee on Organ Transplantation, Healthcare Systems Bureau, 
HRSA, at the above address, or sent via email to: [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Robert Walsh, Executive Secretary, 
ACOT, at (301) 443-6839 or email [email protected]. A copy of the ACOT 
charter and list of current membership may be accessed through the ACOT 
website at https://www.organdonor.gov/about-dot/acot.html.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: ACOT was established by the Amended Final 
Rule of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) (42 
CFR part 121) and, by Public Law 92-463, was chartered on September 1, 
2000. ACOT meets up to three times during the fiscal year.
    Nominations: HRSA is requesting nominations for voting members to 
serve as Special Government Employees (SGEs) on ACOT. The Secretary 
appoints ACOT SGEs with the expertise needed to fulfill the duties of 
the committee. HRSA is seeking nominees knowledgeable in such fields as 
deceased and living organ donation, health care public policy, 
transplantation medicine and surgery, critical care medicine and other 
medical specialties involved in the identification and referral of 
donors, non-physician transplant professions, nursing, epidemiology, 
immunology, law and bioethics, behavioral sciences, economics, and 
statistics. HRSA is also seeking transplant candidates, transplant 
recipients, living organ donors, and family members of deceased and 
living organ donors to serve as members. SGEs shall not serve while 
they are also serving on the OPTN Board of Directors. Interested 
applicants may self-nominate or be nominated by another individual or 
organization.
    Individuals selected for appointment to ACOT will be invited to 
serve for up-to 4 years. Members appointed as SGEs receive a stipend 
and reimbursement for per diem and travel expenses incurred for 
attending ACOT meetings and/or conducting other business on behalf of 
ACOT, as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 5703 of the Federal Travel Regulation 
for persons employed intermittently in government service.
    The following information must be included in the package of 
materials submitted for each individual being nominated for 
consideration: (1) A letter of nomination stating the name, 
affiliation, and contact information for the nominee, the basis for the 
nomination (i.e., what specific attributes, perspectives, and/or skills 
does the individual possess that would benefit the workings of ACOT), 
and the nominee's field(s) of expertise; (2) a biographical sketch of 
the nominee; (3) the name, address, daytime telephone number, and email 
address at which the nominator can be contacted; and (4) a current copy 
of the nominee's curriculum vitae. Nomination packages may be submitted 
directly by the individual being nominated or by the person/
organization recommending the candidate.
    HRSA will try to ensure that ACOT membership of is balanced in 
terms of points of view represented. Accordingly, the Agency will 
consider for membership individuals from broad and diverse backgrounds, 
representing various geographic areas, gender, ethnic, and minority 
groups, as well as individuals with disabilities. Appointments shall be 
made without discrimination on the basis of age, ethnicity, gender, 
sexual orientation, or cultural, religious, or socioeconomic status.
    Individuals selected to be considered for appointment will be 
required to provide detailed information regarding their financial 
holdings, consultancies, and research grants or contracts. Disclosure 
of this information is required for HRSA ethics officials to determine 
whether there is a conflict between the SGE's public duties as a member 
of ACOT and their private interests, including an appearance of a loss 
of impartiality as defined by federal laws and regulations, and to 
identify any required remedial action needed to address the potential 
conflict.

Maria G. Button,
Director, Division of the Executive Secretariat.
[FR Doc. 2019-13213 Filed 6-20-19; 8:45 am]
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