[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 208 (Monday, October 30, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 74193-74194]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-23860]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60Day-24-1078; Docket No. CDC-2023-0086]


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 effort to reduce public burden and maximize the 
utility of Government information, invites the general public and other 
Federal agencies the opportunity to comment on a continuing information 
collection, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This 
notice invites comment on a proposed information collection project 
titled The Division of Workforce Development (DWD) Fellowship Alumni 
Assessment. Information will be collected from graduates of selected 
public health fellowships to assess the impact of fellowship programs 
and improve their management.

DATES: CDC must receive written comments on or before December 29, 
2023.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CDC-2023-
0086 by any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: www.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 www.regulations.gov.
    Please note: Submit all comments through the Federal eRulemaking 
portal (www.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; Telephone: 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

    The Division of Workforce Development (DWD) Fellowship Alumni 
Assessment (OMB Control No. 0920-1078, Exp. 02/29/2024)--Revision--
National Center for State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial Public Health 
Infrastructure and Workforce (NCSTLTPHIW), Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) works to 
protect America from health, safety and security threats, both foreign 
and in the U.S. CDC strives to fulfill this mission, in part, through a 
competent and capable public health workforce. One mechanism for 
developing the public health workforce is through fellowship programs 
like those sponsored and supported by the Division of Workforce 
Development (DWD).
    A robust public health workforce has sufficient workforce, 
organizational, and systems capacity to deliver essential public health 
services and protect the public's health. In 2023, after a CDC 
reorganization agency-wide, a number of CDC career fellowships were 
consolidated within one new division, DWD, which has a lead role in 
public health workforce development. Across all of its branches, DWD 
manages or supports many full-time, cross-cutting career fellowship 
programs that support CDC and State, Tribal, local, and Territorial 
health departments, and partner organizations. Through these programs, 
DWD strives to provide quality training for current and future members 
of the public health workforce to ensure they have foundational and 
contemporary public health skills. Nearly all these programs serve as a 
pathway to CDC career communities and are an important source of supply 
for the public health workforce.
    In 2015, CDC obtained OMB approval to conduct follow-up surveys of 
alumni who had completed the Public Health Associate Program (PHAP) 
(OMB Control No. 0920-1078). Findings from the PHAP alumni surveys have 
improved CDC's understanding of alumni retention and career progression 
in the public health workforce and have informed management of the 
PHAP. In the current Revision, CDC proposes to build on lessons learned 
in PHAP fellowship evaluation. CDC will broaden the scope of 
information collection to accommodate the full portfolio of DWD 
fellowships, which currently include the Epidemiology Elective Program 
(EEP), Evaluation Fellowship (EF), Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS), 
CDC E-Learning Institute, Future Leaders in Infectious and Global 
Health Threats (FLIGHT), Laboratory Leadership Service (LLS), CDC 
Steven M. Teutsch Prevention Effectiveness (PE) Fellowship, Preventive 
Medicine Residency and Fellowship, Population Health Training in Place 
Program (PHTPP), Science Ambassador Fellowship (SAF), and PHAP. In 
addition to expanding the respondent

[[Page 74194]]

universe for fellowship alumni, this ICR is intentionally removing the 
host site supervisor component included in the original ICR. This 
revision will specifically focus on fellowship alumni only. A new ICR 
will be created for the host site supervisor survey.
    Each year, new cohorts ranging from three to 200 individuals are 
enrolled across these fellowship programs. While each fellowship 
differs in focus area, type of fellow, and projects, they all have the 
same mission: to train and provide learning opportunities to early- and 
mid-career professionals who contribute to the public health workforce. 
Post-fellowship, it is the goal that alumni seek employment within the 
public health system (i.e., Federal, State, Tribal, local, or 
Territorial health agencies, or non-governmental organizations).
    CDC will apply a common approach to assessing how fellowship 
participation impacts the job placement, retention in the public health 
workforce, and career progression of alumni. DWD Fellowship Alumni 
Surveys will be administered to individual program alumni at three 
different time points (one year, three years, and five years post-
program completion). Each fellowship program will invite their 
program's alumni to participate. Fellowships will be deploying surveys 
specific to their programs. Assessment questions will remain consistent 
at each administration timepoint (i.e., one year, three years, or five 
years post-program completion). The language, however, will be updated 
for each survey administration to reflect the appropriate time period. 
Surveys will be administered electronically; a link to the survey will 
be provided in an email invitation. CDC will discontinue the Host Site 
Supervisor Survey previously approved for the PHAP fellowship alumni.
    CDC will use survey findings to document program outcomes, 
demonstrate evidence of impact, and inform decision making about future 
program direction. The results of these surveys may be published in 
peer reviewed journals and/or in non-scientific publications such as 
practice reports and/or fact sheets. OMB approval is requested for 
three years. The estimated burden is eight minutes per respondent per 
survey, and the total annualized estimated burden is 519 hours. 
Participation is voluntary and there are no costs to respondents other 
than their time.

                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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                                                                                  Average burden
                                                     Number of       Number of       time per     Total response
      Type of respondents           Form name       respondents    responses per   response (in     burden (in
                                                                    respondent        hours)          hours)
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DWD Fellowship Alumni.........  DWD Alumni 1-               1300               1            8/60             173
                                 Year Survey.
DWD Fellowship Alumni.........  DWD Alumni 3-               1300               1            8/60             173
                                 Year Survey.
DWD Fellowship Alumni.........  DWD Alumni 5-               1300               1            8/60             173
                                 Year Survey.
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.....................  ................  ..............  ..............  ..............             519
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Jeffrey M. Zirger,
Lead, Information Collection Review Office, Office of Public Health 
Ethics and Regulations, Office of Science, Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2023-23860 Filed 10-27-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P