[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 49 (Monday, March 14, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14271-14272]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-05302]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60Day-22-0765; Docket No. CDC-2022-0032]


Proposed Data Collection Submitted for Public Comment and 
Recommendations

AGENCY: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of 
Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACTION: Notice with comment period.

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SUMMARY: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as part 
of its continuing efforts to reduce public burden and maximize the 
utility of government information, invites the general public and other 
federal agencies to comment on proposed and/or continuing information 
collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This 
notice invites comments on an information collection titled, CDC's 
Fellowship Management System (FMS). CDC uses the information collected 
to aid and enhance the selection of fellowship participants and host 
sites and to track participant information that helps strengthen the 
current, emerging, and ever-changing public health workforce.

DATES: CDC must receive written comments on or before May 13, 2022.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CDC-2022-
0032 by any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Regulations.gov. Follow the 
instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail: Jeffrey M. Zirger, Information Collection Review 
Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road 
NE, MS H21-8, Atlanta, Georgia 30329.
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name 
and Docket Number. CDC will post, without change, all relevant comments 
to regulations.gov.

    Please note:  Submit all comments through the Federal 
eRulemaking portal (regulations.gov) or by U.S. mail to the address 
listed above.


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request more information on the 
proposed project or to obtain a copy of the information collection plan 
and instruments, contact Jeffrey M. Zirger, Information Collection 
Review Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton 
Road NE, MS H21-8, Atlanta, Georgia 30329; phone: 404-639-7570; Email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 
(PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), federal agencies must obtain approval from 
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for each collection of 
information they conduct or sponsor. In addition, the PRA also requires 
federal agencies to provide a 60-day notice in the Federal Register 
concerning each proposed collection of information, including each new 
proposed collection, each proposed extension of existing collection of 
information, and each reinstatement of previously approved information 
collection before submitting the collection to the OMB for approval. To 
comply with this requirement, we are publishing this notice of a 
proposed data collection as described below.
    The OMB is particularly interested in comments that will help:
    1. Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility;
    2. Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of 
the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used;
    3. Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to 
be collected;
    4. Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those 
who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic 
submissions of responses; and
    5. Assess information collection costs.

Proposed Project

    Data collection for fellowship programs using CDC's Fellowship 
Management System (OMB Control No. 0920-0765, Exp. 3/31/2023)--
Revision--Center for Surveillance, Education, and Laboratory Services 
(CSELS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    The Division of Scientific Education and Professional Development 
(DSEPD/CSELS) requests a three-year revision to continue the use of the 
CDC Fellowship Management System (FMS) to collect data under the 
approved OMB Control Number (0920-0765). The mission of DSEPD is to 
improve health outcomes through a competent, sustainable, and empowered 
public health workforce. Professionals in public health, epidemiology, 
medicine, economics, information science, veterinary medicine, nursing, 
public policy, and other related professionals seek opportunities, 
through CDC fellowships, to broaden their knowledge and skills, and to 
improve the science and practice of public health. CDC fellows are 
assigned to state, tribal, local, and territorial public health 
agencies; federal government agencies, including CDC and Department of 
Health and Human Services' (HHS) operational divisions, such as Centers 
for Medicare & Medicaid Services; and to nongovernmental organizations, 
including academic institutions, tribal organizations, and private 
public health organizations.
    CDC uses FMS to collect, process, and manage data from nonfederal 
applicants seeking training or public health support services through 
CDC fellowships. FMS is used to electronically submit fellowship 
applications, submit fellowship host site proposals, track completion 
of fellowship activities, and maintain fellowship alumni directories 
online. FMS is a flexible and robust electronic information system 
standardized and tailored for each CDC fellowship, collecting only the 
minimum amount of information needed. The system is critical to 
streamlining data management for CDC and reducing burden for 
respondents. FMS is key to CDC's ability to protect the public's health 
by supporting training opportunities that strengthen the public health 
workforce.
    The proposed Revision has two purposes: (1) Increase the number of 
likely respondents and (2) change the software platform on which FMS 
operates. The increase in likely respondents is a result of increased 
funding that will allow DSEPD to expand many of the fellowships managed 
through FMS. The change in software platform will provide CDC with an 
even more efficient, effective, and secure electronic mechanism for 
collecting, processing, and monitoring fellowship information. The 
proposed software platform is the Microsoft[supreg] Power 
Platform[supreg] (Microsoft Corporation, Cary, Washington). Integration 
of the suite of Microsoft tools for data management, analysis, and 
visualization will allow CDC to access

[[Page 14272]]

fellowship data in real time; moreover, data cleaning and manipulation 
do not need to be done outside the system, which will increase the 
security of these data. These increased functionalities will facilitate 
the enhanced use of administrative data collections for program 
improvement and evidence building activities across CDC and other 
federal agencies. The update to the software platform will also make it 
easier for additional fellowships to opt in to use FMS, expanding the 
benefits of the system to a broader set of CDC programs. Finally, the 
platform change should also enhance user experience. This Revision does 
not propose substantive changes to the nature or extent of information 
collected from respondents, and will allow all respondents--fellowship 
applicants, public health agencies hosting fellowship participants, and 
fellowship alumni--the continued use of FMS for submission of 
electronic data with increased efficiency and reduced burdens.
    The burden table reflects OMB-approved changes since 2020 and 
anticipated growth in fellowships from 2022 onward. CDC requests 
approval for an estimated total of 14,914 annual burden hours. There is 
no cost to respondents other than their time.

                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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                                                                                      Average
                                                     Number of       Number of      burden per     Total  burden
      Type of respondents           Form name       respondents    responses per   response  (in    (in hours)
                                                                    respondent        hours)
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Fellowship applicants.........  FMS Fellowship              5146               1           87/60           7,462
                                 Application
                                 Information
                                 Collection
                                 Instrument.
Reference Letter Writers......  FMS Fellowship              6842               1           15/60           1,711
                                 Application
                                 Information
                                 Collection
                                 Instrument.
Public Health Agency or         FMS Host Site                960               1           75/60           1,200
 Organization Staff.             Information
                                 Collection
                                 Instrument.
Public Health Agency or         FMS Activity                 555               2           30/60             555
 Organization Staff.             Tracking
                                 Information
                                 Collection
                                 Instrument.
Fellowship Alumni.............  FMS Alumni                  6463               1           37/60           3,986
                                 Tracking
                                 Information
                                 Collection
                                 Instrument.
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.....................  ................  ..............  ..............  ..............          14,914
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Jeffrey M. Zirger,
Lead, Information Collection Review Office, Office of Scientific 
Integrity, Office of Science, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2022-05302 Filed 3-11-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P