[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]
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