[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 65 (Wednesday, April 5, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20173-20174]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-07038]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES


Solicitation of Nominations for Appointment to the Advisory 
Committee on Blood and Tissue Safety and Availability (ACBTSA)

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, Office of the 
Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

[[Page 20174]]


ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH) is 
seeking nominations for membership on the Advisory Committee on Blood 
and Tissue Safety and Availability (referred to as ACBTSA and/or the 
Committee). This announcement is to solicit nominations of qualified 
candidates to five public member positions on the ACBTSA. The ACBTSA is 
a federal advisory committee within the U.S. Department of Health and 
Human Services (HHS). Qualified individuals will be nominated to the 
Secretary of Health and Human Services for consideration of appointment 
as members of the ACBTSA. Members are invited to serve on the Committee 
for up to four-year terms. The Committee was established to provide 
advice to the Secretary on a range of policy issues related to blood, 
blood products, and tissues. The functions of the Committee are solely 
advisory in nature.

DATES: Nominations for membership on the ACBTSA must be received no 
later than 5:00 p.m. (ET), May 5, 2023. Packages received after this 
time will not be considered for the current membership cycle.

ADDRESSES: All nominations should be electronically mailed in one email 
to [email protected]. Please include in the subject line of the email: 
ACBTSA Application.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James Berger, Designated Federal 
Officer for the ACBTSA; Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS 
Policy, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, Department of 
Health and Human Services, Tower Building, 1101 Wootton Parkway, 
Rockville, MD 20852. Email: [email protected]. Phone: 202-795-7608. 
Additional information about ACBTSA can be obtained by accessing the 
Committee's website at https://www.hhs.gov/oidp/advisory-committee/blood-tissue-safety-availability/index.html.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: ACBTSA is authorized under 42 U.S.C. 217a, 
section 222 of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act, as amended. The 
Committee is governed by the provisions of the Federal Advisory 
Committee Act (FACA), Public Law 92-463, as amended, which sets forth 
standards for the formation and use of advisory committees. The ACBTSA 
advises, assists, consults with, and makes policy recommendations to 
the Secretary, through the Assistant Secretary for Health, regarding 
broad responsibilities related to the safety of blood, blood products, 
tissues, and organs. For solid organs and blood stem cells, the 
Committee's work is limited to policy issues related to donor derived 
infectious disease complications of transplantation.
    The Advisory Committee consists of up to 29 members, including the 
voting and non-voting members and the Chair and Vice Chair or Co-
Chairs. The Committee consists of not more than 23 voting members; 14 
public members, including the Chair, and nine (9) individuals 
designated to serve as official representative members. The public 
members are selected from state and local organizations, patient 
advocacy groups, provider organizations, academic researchers, 
ethicists, physicians, surgeons, scientists, risk communication 
experts, consumer advocates, and from among communities of persons who 
are frequent recipients of blood or blood products or who have received 
tissues or organs. The nine individuals who are appointed as official 
representatives are selected to serve the interests of the blood, blood 
products, tissue and organ professional organizations or business 
sectors. The representative members are selected from the following 
groups: The AABB (formerly the American Association of Blood Banks); 
American Association of Tissue Banks; Eye Bank Association of America; 
Association of Organ Procurement Organizations; and one of either the 
American Red Cross or America's Blood Centers. The Committee 
composition can include additional representation from either the 
plasma protein fraction community or a trade organization; a 
manufacturer of blood, plasma, or other tissue/organ test kits; a 
manufacturer of blood, plasma or other tissue/organ equipment; a major 
hospital organization; or a major hospital accreditation organization.
    All voting members are appointed by the Secretary or designee. 
Public voting members are classified as special government employees 
(SGEs) and are subject to government ethics rules. Pursuant to an 
advance written agreement, SGE voting members shall receive no stipend 
from the federal government for the services they perform during their 
tenure on the Committee. However, the SGE voting members are entitled 
to receive per diem and reimbursement for travel expenses incurred for 
attending meetings of the Advisory Committee.

Nominations

    Nominations are being sought for individuals who have expertise and 
qualifications necessary to contribute to the accomplishment of the 
ACBTSA's objectives. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 
policy stipulates that committee membership be balanced in terms of 
points of view represented and the committee's function. Appointments 
shall be made without discrimination on the basis of age, race, 
ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, veteran 
status, and cultural or religious status. In order to help ensure 
diverse groups and points of view are represented on the committee, 
nominees may provide this information when applying. Nominees must be 
U.S. citizens and cannot be full-time employees of the U.S. Government. 
Public members of the Committee are Special Government Employees 
(SGEs), requiring the filing of financial disclosure reports at the 
beginning and annually during their terms. Individuals who are selected 
for appointment will be required to provide detailed information 
regarding their financial interests and must receive annual ethics 
training. Candidates should submit the following items to be considered 
of appointment:
     Current curriculum vitae or resume, including complete 
contact information (telephone numbers, mailing address, email 
address).
     A letter of interest or personal statement from the 
nominee stating how their expertise would inform the work of ACBTSA 
(300 words or fewer).
     Nominees are invited to identify any or some of the 
following: race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, 
disability, veteran status and cultural or religious status. This is 
not mandatory for a complete application.
    Individuals can nominate themselves for consideration of 
appointment to the Committee. All nominations must include the required 
information in one email sent to [email protected] with the subject line, 
``ACBTSA Application.'' Incomplete nomination applications will not be 
processed for consideration.

    Dated: March 13, 2023.
James J. Berger,
Senior Advisor for Blood and Tissue Policy, Designated Federal Officer, 
Advisory Committee on Blood and Tissue Safety and Availability, Office 
of the Assistant Secretary for Health, Department of Health and Human 
Services.
[FR Doc. 2023-07038 Filed 4-4-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4150-41-P