[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 101 (Thursday, May 27, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28632-28633]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-11213]


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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 to be 
considered for appointment as members of the Advisory Council on Blood 
Stem Cell Transplantation (ACBSCT or Council). ACBSCT shall advise the 
Secretary of HHS (Secretary), 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, HRSA, Room 08W60, 5600 
Fishers Lane, Rockville, Maryland 20857, or sent via email to: 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Shelley Grant, Executive Secretary, 
ACBSCT, at (301) 443-8036 or email [email protected]. A copy of the 
ACBSCT charter and a list of current members may be obtained by 
accessing 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, the ACBSCT was chartered on December 19, 2006. ACBSCT meets up to 
three times during the fiscal year.
    ACBSCT shall, as requested by the Secretary, discuss and make 
recommendations regarding the Program. It shall provide 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 shall advise, assist, consult, and make 
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 and design of the Stem Cell 
Therapeutic Outcomes Database.
    At the request of the Secretary, ACBSCT shall also review and 
advise 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 state and federal governments and public and private insurers 
to increase donation and access to transplantation. ACBSCT shall also 
make 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 
who are 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

[[Page 28633]]

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 to serve as 
members. 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 2 years, and are eligible to serve as many as 3 
consecutive 2-year terms. Members appointed as 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 
ACBSCT, as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 5703 of the FACA 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 the membership of ACBSCT is fairly 
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 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, Executive Secretariat.
[FR Doc. 2021-11213 Filed 5-26-21; 8:45 am]
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