[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 135 (Monday, July 15, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33772-33773]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-14941]


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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 Council on Blood Stem Cell 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 for 
consideration for appointment as members of the Advisory Council on 
Blood Stem Cell Transplantation (ACBSCT or Council). ACBSCT advises the 
Secretary, acting through the HRSA Administrator, on the activities of 
the C.W. Bill Young Cell Transplantation Program and the National Cord 
Blood Inventory Program (Program).
    Authority: The Council was established to implement a statutory 
requirement of the Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act of 2005 (Pub. 
L. 109-129). The Council is governed by the Federal Advisory Committee 
Act, (FACA) as amended (5 U.S.C. Appendix 2), which sets forth 
standards for the formation and use of advisory committees.

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

ADDRESSES: Nomination packages must be submitted to the Executive 
Secretary, ACBSCT, Healthcare Systems Bureau, (HSB) HRSA, Room 08W60, 
5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, Maryland 20857. Federal Express, 
Airborne, UPS, or any other mail delivery should be addressed to 
Executive Secretary, ACBSCT, HSB, HRSA, at the above address, or sent 
via email to: [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Robert Walsh, Executive Secretary, 
ACBSCT, at (301) 443-6839 or email [email protected]. A copy of the 
ACBSCT charter and list of the current membership can be accessed by 
going to the ACBSCT website at https://bloodcell.transplant.hrsa.gov/about/advisory_council/index.html.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: ACBSCT was established pursuant to Public 
Law 109-129 as amended by Public Law 111-264; 42 U.S.C. 274k; Section 
379 of the Public Health Service Act. In accordance with Public Law 92-
463, ACBSCT was chartered on December 19, 2006.
    ACBSCT, as requested by the Secretary, discusses and makes 
recommendations regarding the Program. The Council provides a 
consolidated, comprehensive source of expert, unbiased analysis and 
recommendations to the Secretary on the latest advances in the science 
of blood stem cell transplantation. ACBSCT advises, assists, consults, 
and makes recommendations, at the request of the Secretary, on: (1) 
Broad program policy in areas such as the necessary size and 
composition of the adult donor pool available through the Program and 
the composition of the National Cord Blood Inventory; (2) requirements 
regarding informed consent for cord blood donation; (3) accreditation 
requirements for cord blood banks; (4) the scientific factors that 
define a cord blood unit as high quality; (5) public and professional 
education to encourage the ethical recruitment of genetically diverse 
donors and ethical donation practices; (6) criteria for selecting the 
appropriate blood stem source for transplantation; (7) Program 
priorities; (8) research priorities; and (9) the scope

[[Page 33773]]

and design of the Stem Cell Therapeutic Outcomes Database.
    At the request of the Secretary, ACBSCT also reviews and advises on 
issues relating more broadly to the field of blood stem cell 
transplantation, such as regulatory policy pertaining to the 
compatibility of international regulations, and actions that may be 
taken by the state and federal governments and public and private 
insurers to increase donation and access to transplantation. ACBSCT 
also makes recommendations regarding research on emerging therapies 
using cells from bone marrow and cord blood. The Council may meet up to 
three times during the fiscal year.
    Nominations: HRSA is requesting nominations for voting members to 
serve as Special Government Employees (SGEs) on ACBSCT. The Council 
shall consist of up to 25 members, who are SGEs, and 6 ex-officio, non-
voting members. The Secretary appoints ACBSCT SGEs with the expertise 
needed to fulfill the duties of the Council. HRSA is seeking nominees 
to serve as members from the following areas: Outstanding authorities 
and representatives of marrow donor centers and marrow transplant 
centers; representatives of cord blood banks and participating birthing 
hospitals; recipients of bone marrow transplants; recipients of cord 
blood transplants; persons who require such transplants; family members 
of such a recipient or family members of a patient who has requested 
the assistance of the Program in searching for an unrelated donor of 
bone marrow or cord blood; persons with expertise in bone marrow and 
cord blood transplantation; persons with expertise in typing, matching, 
and transplant outcome data analysis; persons with expertise in the 
social sciences; basic scientists with expertise in the biology of 
adult stem cells; ethicists; hematology and transfusion medicine 
researchers with expertise in adult blood stem cells; persons with 
expertise in cord blood processing; and members of the general public. 
Interested applicants may self-nominate or be nominated by another 
individual or organization.
    Individuals selected for appointment to ACBSCT will be invited to 
serve for a term of two years, and are eligible to serve as many as 
three consecutive 2-year terms. SGEs receive a stipend and 
reimbursement for per diem and travel expenses incurred for attending 
ACBSCT meetings and/or conducting other business on behalf of the 
Council, 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 ACBSCT), 
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.
    HHS endeavors to ensure that ACBSCT membership is balanced in terms 
of points of view represented and that individuals from a broad 
representation of geographic areas, gender, and ethnic and minority 
groups, as well as individuals with disabilities, are considered for 
membership. Appointments shall be made without discrimination on the 
basis of age, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or cultural, 
religious, or socioeconomic status.
    Individuals who are 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 ACBSCT 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. 2019-14941 Filed 7-12-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-15-P