2892 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 14 / Tuesday, January 23, 2007 / Notices 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Health Resources and Services 

Administration 

Establishment of Advisory Council on 

Blood Stem Cell Transplantation and 

Solicitation of Nominations for 

Membership 

AGENCY: Health Resources and Services 

Administration (HRSA), HHS. 

ACTION: Notice of establishment of the 

Advisory Council on Blood Stem Cell 

Transplantation and Solicitation of 

Nominations for Membership. 

SUMMARY: Pursuant to Public Law 109–

129, 42 U.S.C. 274k (section 379 of the 

Public Health Service Act, as amended) 

and the Federal Advisory Committee 

Act, as amended (5 U.S.C. Appendix 2), 

the Administrator, HRSA, announces 

the establishment of the Advisory 

Council on Blood Stem Cell 

Transplantation by the Secretary, HHS. 

The Council will advise the Secretary 

on proposed C.W. Bill Young Cell 

Transplantation Program policies and 

other such matters as the Secretary 

determines. 

Duration of this Council is for two 

years unless renewed by the Secretary, 

HHS. This notice also requests 

nominations for membership on the 

Council. 

DATES: Nominations for members must 

be received on or before February 22, 

2007. 

ADDRESSES: All nominations should be 

submitted to the Executive Secretary, 

Advisory Council on Blood Stem Cell 

Transplantation, Healthcare Systems 

Bureau, HRSA, Parklawn Building, 

Room 12C–06, 5600 Fishers Lane, 

Rockville, Maryland 20857. Federal 

Express, Airborne, or UPS, mail delivery 

should be addressed to Executive 

Secretary, Advisory Council on Blood 

Stem Cell Transplantation, Healthcare 

Systems Bureau, HRSA, at the above 

address. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Remy Aronoff, Executive Secretary, 

Advisory Council on Blood Stem Cell 

Transplantation, at (301) 443–3264 or email Remy.Aronoff@hrsa.hhs.gov or 

Robert Baitty, Director, Blood Stem Cell 

Transplantation Program, Division of 

Transplantation, at (301) 443–2612 or email Robert.Baitty@hrsa.hhs.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background and Authority 

Establishment of the Council 

implements 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 (5 U.S.C. 

Appendix 2), which sets forth standards 

for the formation and use of advisory 

committees. 

The Advisory Council shall advise the 

Secretary and the Administrator, HRSA, 

on matters related to the activities of the 

C.W. Bill Young Cell Transplantation 

Program and the National Cord Blood 

Inventory Program. 

The Council shall, as requested by the 

Secretary, discuss and make 

recommendations regarding the C.W. 

Bill Young Cell Transplantation 

Program (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. The 

Council shall advise, assist, consult and 

make recommendations, at the request 

of the Secretary, on 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, requirements regarding 

informed consent for cord blood 

donation, accreditation requirements for 

cord blood banks, the scientific factors 

that define a cord blood unit as high 

quality, public and professional 

education to encourage the ethical 

recruitment of genetically diverse 

donors and ethical donation practices, 

criteria for selecting the appropriate 

blood stem source for transplantation, 

Program priorities, research priorities, 

and the scope and design of the Stem 

Cell Therapeutic Outcomes Database. It 

also shall, at the request of the 

Secretary, review and advise on issues 

relating more broadly to the field of 

blood stem cell transplantation, such as 

regulatory policy including 

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. The Advisory 

Council also shall make 

recommendations regarding research on 

emerging therapies using cells from 

bone marrow and cord blood. 

II. Structure 

The Council shall consist of up to 25 

members, including the Chair. Members 

of the Advisory Council shall be chosen 

to ensure objectivity and balance, and 

reduce the potential for conflicts of 

interest. The Secretary shall establish 

bylaws and procedures to prohibit any 

member of the Advisory Council who 

has an employment, governance, or 

financial affiliation with a donor center, 

recruitment organization, transplant 

center, or cord blood bank from 

participating in any decision that 

materially affects the center, recruitment 

organization, transplant center, or cord 

blood bank; and to limit the number of 

members of the Advisory Council with 

any such affiliation. 

The members and chair shall be 

selected by the Secretary from 

outstanding authorities and 

representatives of marrow donor centers 

and marrow transplant centers; 

representatives of cord blood banks and 

participating birthing hospitals; 

recipients of a bone marrow transplant; 

recipients of a cord blood transplant; 

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. 

The Council also shall include as 

nonvoting members representatives 

from the Division of Transplantation of 

the Health Resources and Services 

Administration, the Department of 

Defense Marrow Recruitment and 

Research Program operated by the 

Department of the Navy, the Food and 

Drug Administration and the National 

Institutes of Health. The Secretary may 

also appoint other non-voting ex officio 

members, or designees of such officials, 

as the Secretary deems necessary for the 

Council to effectively carry out its 

functions. 

As necessary, subcommittees 

composed of members of the parent 

Council, may be established with the 

approval of the Secretary of HHS or his 

designee to perform specific functions 

within the Council’s jurisdiction. The 

Department Committee Management 

Officer shall be notified upon 

establishment of each subcommittee, 

and shall be provided information on its 

name, membership, function, and 

estimated frequency of meetings. 

Members shall be invited to serve for 

a term of 2 years, and (assuming the 

Council’s term is extended) each such 

member may serve as many as 3 

consecutive 2-year terms, except that 

such limitations shall not apply to the 

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Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 14 / Tuesday, January 23, 2007 / Notices 2893 

Chair of the Council (or the Chair-elect) 

or to the member of the Council who 

most recently served as the Chair; and 

one additional consecutive 2-year term 

may be served by any member of the 

Council who has no employment, 

governance, or financial affiliation with 

any donor center, recruitment 

organization, transplant center, or cord 

blood bank. A member of the Council 

may continue to serve after the 

expiration of the term of such member 

until a successor is appointed. In order 

to ensure the continuity of the Council, 

the Council shall be appointed so that 

each year the terms of approximately 

one-third of the members of the Council 

expires. Any member of the Council 

who has an employment, governance, or 

financial affiliation with a donor center, 

recruitment organization, transplant 

center, or cord blood bank will be 

prohibited from participating in any 

decision that materially affects the 

donor center, recruitment organization, 

transplant center, or cord blood bank. 

The number of members with such 

affiliations on the Council shall be 

limited. Meetings shall be held up to 3 

times per year at the call of the 

Designated Federal Official or designee 

who shall approve the agenda and shall 

be present at all meetings. 

A vacancy on the Council shall be 

filled in the manner in which the 

original appointment was made and 

shall be subjected to any conditions that 

applied with respect to the original 

appointment. An individual chosen to 

fill a vacancy shall be appointed for the 

remainder of the term of the member 

replaced. The vacancy shall not affect 

the power of the remaining members to 

execute the duties of the Council. 

All members of HRSA advisory 

committees shall adhere to the conflict 

of interest rules applicable to Special 

Government Employees as such 

employees are defined in 18 U.S.C. 

section 202(a). These rules include 

relevant provisions in 18 U.S.C. related 

to criminal activity, Standards of Ethical 

Conduct for Employees of the Executive 

Branch (5 CFR part 2635), and Executive 

Order 12674 (as modified by Executive 

Order 12731). 

Management and support services 

shall be provided by the Director, 

Division of Transplantation, Healthcare 

Systems Bureau, HRSA. 

III. Compensation 

Members shall be paid at a rate of 

$200 for each day they are engaged in 

the performance of their duties as 

members of the Council. Members shall 

receive per diem and travel expenses as 

authorized by 5 U.S.C. 5703, as 

amended, for persons employed 

intermittently in the Government 

service. Members who are officers or 

employees of the United States 

Government shall not receive 

compensation for service on the 

Council. 

IV. Nominations 

HHS will consider nominations of all 

qualified individuals to ensure that the 

Advisory Council includes the areas of 

subject matter expertise noted above 

(see ‘‘Structure’’). Individuals may 

nominate themselves or other 

individuals, and professional 

associations and organizations may 

nominate one or more qualified persons 

for membership on the Advisory 

Council. 

Nominations shall state that the 

nominee is willing to serve as a member 

of the Council. Potential candidates will 

be asked to provide detailed information 

concerning financial interests, 

consultancies, research grants, and/or 

contracts that might be affected by 

recommendations of the Council to 

permit evaluation of possible sources of 

conflicts of interest. In addition, 

nominees will be asked to provide 

detailed information concerning any 

employment, governance, or financial 

affiliation with any donor centers, 

recruitment organizations, transplant 

centers, and/or cord blood banks. 

A nomination package should include 

the following information for each 

nominee: (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 recommend him/her for 

service in this capacity), and the 

nominee’s field(s) of expertise; (2) a 

biographical sketch of the nominee and 

a copy of his/her curriculum vitae; and 

(3) the name, return address, e-mail 

address, and daytime telephone number 

at which the nominator can be 

contacted. 

HHS has special interest in assuring 

that women, minority groups, and the 

physically disabled are adequately 

represented on advisory committees; 

and therefore, extends particular 

encouragement to nominations for 

appropriately qualified female, 

minority, or disabled candidates. HHS 

also encourages geographic diversity in 

the composition of the Council. 

All nomination information should be 

provided in a single, complete package 

within 30 days of the publication of this 

notice. All nominations for membership 

should be sent to the Executive 

Secretary of the Council at the address 

provided above. 

Dated: January 16, 2007. 

Elizabeth M. Duke, 

Administrator. 

[FR Doc. E7–891 Filed 1–22–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4165–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

National Institutes of Health 

Fogarty International Center; Notice of 

Meeting 

Pursuant to section 10(d) of the 

Federal Advisory Committee Act, as 

amended (5 U.S.C. Appendix 2), notice 

is hereby given of a meeting of the 

Fogarty International Center Advisory 

Board. 

The meeting will be open to the 

public as indicated below, with 

attendance limited to space available. 

Individuals who plan to attend and 

need special assistance, such as sign 

language interpretation or other 

reasonable accommodations, should 

notify the Contact Person listed below 

in advance of the meeting. 

The meeting will be closed to the 

public in accordance with the 

provisions set forth in sections 

552b(c)(4) and 552b(c)(6), Title 5 U.S.C., 

as amended. The grant applications 

and/or contract proposals and the 

discussions could disclose confidential 

trade secrets or commercial property 

such as patentable material, and 

personal information concerning 

individuals associated with the grant 

applications and/or contract proposals, 

the disclosure of which would 

constitute a clearly unwarranted 

invasion of personal privacy. 

Name of Committee: Fogarty International 

Center Advisory Board. 

Date: February 5–6, 2007. 

Closed: February 5, 2007, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. 

Agenda: To review and evaluate grant 

applications and/or proposals. 

Place: National Institutes of Health, 

Lawton Chiles International House, Bethesda, 

MD 20892. 

Open: February 6, 2007, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

Agenda: Discussions will focus on Fogarty 

International Center’s early draft of the 

Strategic Plan. 

Place: National Institutes of Health, 

Lawton Chiles International House, Bethesda, 

MD 20892. 

Contact Person: Jean L. Flagg-Newton, 

PhD, Special Assistant to the Director, FIC, 

Fogarty International Center, National 

Institutes of Health, 9000 Rockville Pike, 

Building 31, Room B2C29, Bethesda, MD 

20892, (301) 496–2968, 

flaggnej@mail.nih.gov. 

Any interested person may file written 

comments with the committee by forwarding 

the statement to the Contact Person listed on 

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