Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 2 / Wednesday, January 3, 2024 / Notices 379 

sales statistics, inventories, formulas, 

patterns devices, manufacturing 

processes, or customer names. 

Josephine Liu, 

Assistant General Counsel for Legal Counsel. 

[FR Doc. 2023–28898 Filed 1–2–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6750–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Agency for Healthcare Research and 

Quality 

Solicitation for Nominations for 

Members of the U.S. Preventive 

Services Task Force (USPSTF) 

AGENCY: Agency for Healthcare Research 

and Quality (AHRQ), HHS. 

ACTION: Solicits nominations for new 

members of the USPSTF. 

SUMMARY: The Agency for Healthcare 

Research and Quality (AHRQ) invites 

nominations of individuals qualified to 

serve as members of the U.S. Preventive 

Services Task Force (USPSTF). 

DATES: Nominations must be received 

electronically by March 15th of a given 

year to be considered for appointment to 

begin in January of the following year. 

ADDRESSES: Submit your responses 

electronically via: https://uspstfnomi

nations.ahrq.gov/register. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Lydia Hill at (301) 427–1587. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Arrangement for Public Inspection 

Nominations and applications are 

kept on file at the Center for Evidence 

and Practice Improvement, AHRQ, and 

are available for review during business 

hours. AHRQ does not reply to 

individual nominations, but considers 

all nominations in making 

recommendation for appointment. 

Information regarded as private and 

personal, such as a nominee’s social 

security number, home and email 

addresses, home telephone and fax 

numbers, or names of family members 

will not be disclosed to the public in 

accord with the Freedom of Information 

Act. 5 U.S.C. 552(b)(6); 45 CFR 5.31(f). 

Nomination Submissions 

Nominations must be submitted 

electronically, and should include: 

1. The applicant’s current curriculum 

vitae and contact information, including 

mailing address, and email address; and 

2. A letter explaining how this 

individual meets the qualification 

requirements and how he or she would 

contribute to the USPSTF. The letter 

should also attest to the nominee’s 

willingness to serve as a member of the 

USPSTF. 

AHRQ will later ask people under 

serious consideration for USPSTF 

membership to provide detailed 

information that will permit evaluation 

of possible significant conflicts of 

interest. Such information will concern 

matters such as financial holdings, 

consultancies, non-financial scientific 

interests, and research grants or 

contracts. 

To obtain a diversity of perspectives, 

AHRQ particularly encourages 

nominations of women, members of 

underrepresented populations, and 

persons with disabilities. Interested 

individuals can nominate themselves. 

Organizations and individuals may 

nominate one or more people qualified 

for membership on the USPSTF at any 

time. Individuals nominated prior to 

March 15, 2023, who continue to have 

interest in serving on the USPSTF 

should be re-nominated. 

Qualification Requirements 

To qualify for the USPSTF and 

support its mission, an applicant or 

nominee should, at a minimum, 

demonstrate knowledge, expertise, and 

national leadership in the following 

areas: 

1. The critical evaluation of research 

published in peer-reviewed literature 

and in the methods of evidence review; 

2. Clinical prevention, health 

promotion and primary health care; and 

3. Implementation of evidence-based 

recommendations in clinical practice 

including at the clinician-patient level, 

practice level, and health-system level. 

Additionally, the Task Force benefits 

from members with expertise in the 

following areas: 

D Public Health 

D Health Equity and The Reduction of 

Health Disparities 

D Application of Science to Health 

Policy 

D Decision modeling 

D Dissemination and Implementation 

D Behavioral Medicine/Clinical 

Health Psychology 

D Communication of Scientific 

Findings to Multiple Audiences 

Including Health Care Professionals, 

Policy Makers, and the General Public. 

Candidates with experience and skills 

in any of these areas should highlight 

them in their nomination materials. 

Applicants must have no substantial 

conflicts of interest, whether financial, 

professional, or intellectual, that would 

impair the scientific integrity of the 

work of the USPSTF and must be 

willing to complete regular conflict of 

interest disclosures. 

Applicants must have the ability to 

work collaboratively with a team of 

diverse professionals who support the 

mission of the USPSTF. Applicants 

must have adequate time to contribute 

substantively to the work products of 

the USPSTF. 

Nominee Selection 

Nominated individuals will be 

selected for the USPSTF on the basis of 

how well they meet the required 

qualifications and the current expertise 

needs of the USPSTF. It is anticipated 

that new members will be invited to 

serve on the USPSTF beginning in 

January, 2025. All nominated 

individuals will be considered; 

however, strongest consideration will be 

given to individuals with demonstrated 

training and expertise in the areas of 

Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, 

and Obstetrics and Gynecology. AHRQ 

will retain and may consider for future 

vacancies nominations received this 

year and not selected during this cycle. 

Some USPSTF members without 

primary health care clinical experience 

may be selected based on their expertise 

in methodological issues such as metaanalysis, analytic modeling, or clinical 

epidemiology. For individuals with 

clinical expertise in primary health care, 

additional qualifications in 

methodology would enhance their 

candidacy. 

Background 

Under title IX of the Public Health 

Service Act, AHRQ is charged with 

enhancing the quality, appropriateness, 

and effectiveness of health care services 

and access to such services. 42 U.S.C. 

299(b). AHRQ accomplishes these goals 

through scientific research and 

promotion of improvements in clinical 

practice, including clinical prevention 

of diseases and other health conditions. 

See 42 U.S.C. 299(b). 

The USPSTF, an independent body of 

experts in prevention and evidencebased medicine, works to improve the 

health of people nationwide by making 

evidence-based recommendations about 

the effectiveness of clinical preventive 

services and health promotion. The 

recommendations made by the USPSTF 

address clinical preventive services for 

adults and children, and include 

screening tests, counseling services, and 

preventive medications. 

The USPSTF was first established in 

1984 under the auspices of the U.S. 

Public Health Service. AHRQ provides 

ongoing scientific, administrative, and 

dissemination support for the USPSTF’s 

operation. See 42 U.S.C. 299b–4(a)(3). 

Members are appointed by the Secretary 

of the U.S. Department of Health and 


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380 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 2 / Wednesday, January 3, 2024 / Notices 

Human Services to serve four-year 

terms. New members are selected each 

year to replace those members who are 

completing their appointments. 

The USPSTF rigorously evaluates the 

effectiveness of clinical preventive 

services and formulating or updating 

recommendations regarding the 

appropriate provision of preventive 

services. Current USPSTF 

recommendations and associated 

evidence reviews are available on the 

internet (www.uspreventiveservices

taskforce.org). 

USPSTF members meet three times a 

year for two days in the Washington, DC 

area or virtually if necessary. A 

significant portion of the USPSTF’s 

work occurs between meetings during 

conference calls and via email 

discussions. Member duties include 

prioritizing topics, designing research 

plans, reviewing and commenting on 

systematic evidence reviews, discussing 

evidence and making recommendations 

on preventive services, reviewing 

stakeholder comments, drafting final 

recommendation documents, and 

participating in workgroups on specific 

topics and methods. Members can 

expect to receive frequent emails, can 

expect to participate in multiple 

conference calls each month, and can 

expect to have periodic interaction with 

stakeholders. AHRQ estimates that 

members devote approximately 250 

hours a year outside of in-person 

meetings to their USPSTF duties. The 

members are all volunteers and do not 

receive any compensation beyond 

support for travel to attend the thrice 

yearly meetings and trainings. 

Dated: December 27, 2023. 

Marquita Cullom, 

Associate Director. 

[FR Doc. 2023–28870 Filed 1–2–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4160–90–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Food and Drug Administration 

[Docket No. FDA–2023–N–5653] 

Food and Drug Administration’s Draft 

Report and Plan on Best Practices for 

Guidance; Availability 

AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, 

HHS. 

ACTION: Notice of availability, request 

for comments. 

SUMMARY: The Food and Drug 

Administration (FDA or Agency) is 

announcing the availability of a draft 

document entitled ‘‘Food and Drug 

Administration’s Draft Report and Plan 

on Best Practices for Guidance.’’ This 

draft report responds to the 

Consolidated Appropriations Act of 

2023, which directs FDA to issue a 

report identifying best practices for the 

efficient prioritization, development, 

issuance, and use of guidance 

documents and a plan for 

implementation of such best practices. It 

also directs FDA to publish a draft 

report and plan no later than 1 year after 

enactment of the Consolidated 

Appropriations Act and to consult with 

stakeholders in developing the report 

and implementation plan. 

DATES: Submit either electronic or 

written comments on the draft report 

and plan by March 4, 2024. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

as follows: 

Electronic Submissions 

Submit electronic comments in the 

following way: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: 

https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the 

instructions for submitting comments. 

Comments submitted electronically, 

including attachments, to https://

www.regulations.gov will be posted to 

the docket unchanged. Because your 

comment will be made public, you are 

solely responsible for ensuring that your 

comment does not include any 

confidential information that you or a 

third party may not wish to be posted, 

such as medical information, your or 

anyone else’s Social Security number, or 

confidential business information, such 

as a manufacturing process. Please note 

that if you include your name, contact 

information, or other information that 

identifies you in the body of your 

comments, that information will be 

posted on https://www.regulations.gov. 

• If you want to submit a comment 

with confidential information that you 

do not wish to be made available to the 

public, submit the comment as a 

written/paper submission and in the 

manner detailed (see ‘‘Written/Paper 

Submissions’’ and ‘‘Instructions’’). 

Written/Paper Submissions 

Submit written/paper submissions as 

follows: 

• Mail/Hand Delivery/Courier (for 

written/paper submissions): Dockets 

Management Staff (HFA–305), Food and 

Drug Administration, 5630 Fishers 

Lane, Rm. 1061, Rockville, MD 20852. 

• For written/paper comments 

submitted to the Dockets Management 

Staff, FDA will post your comment, as 

well as any attachments, except for 

information submitted, marked and 

identified, as confidential, if submitted 

as detailed in ‘‘Instructions.’’ 

Instructions: All submissions received 

must include the Docket No. FDA– 

2023–N–5653 for ‘‘Draft Report and Plan 

on Best Practices for Guidance.’’ 

Received comments will be placed in 

the docket and, except for those 

submitted as ‘‘Confidential 

Submissions,’’ publicly viewable at 

https://www.regulations.gov or at the 

Dockets Management Staff between 9 

a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through 

Friday, 240–402–7500. 

• Confidential Submissions—To 

submit a comment with confidential 

information that you do not wish to be 

made publicly available, submit your 

comments only as a written/paper 

submission. You should submit two 

copies total. One copy will include the 

information you claim to be confidential 

with a heading or cover note that states 

‘‘THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS 

CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION.’’ The 

Agency will review this copy, including 

the claimed confidential information, in 

its consideration of comments. The 

second copy, which will have the 

claimed confidential information 

redacted/blacked out, will be available 

for public viewing and posted on 

https://www.regulations.gov. Submit 

both copies to the Dockets Management 

Staff. If you do not wish your name and 

contact information to be made publicly 

available, you can provide this 

information on the cover sheet and not 

in the body of your comments and you 

must identify this information as 

‘‘confidential.’’ Any information marked 

as ‘‘confidential’’ will not be disclosed 

except in accordance with 21 CFR 10.20 

and other applicable disclosure law. For 

more information about FDA’s posting 

of comments to public dockets, see 80 

FR 56469, September 18, 2015, or access 

the information at: https://

www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2015- 

09-18/pdf/2015-23389.pdf. 

Docket: For access to the docket to 

read background documents or the 

electronic and written/paper comments 

received, go to https://

www.regulations.gov and insert the 

docket number, found in brackets in the 

heading of this document, into the 

‘‘Search’’ box and follow the prompts 

and/or go to the Dockets Management 

Staff, 5630 Fishers Lane, Rm. 1061, 

Rockville, MD 20852, 240–402–7500. 

See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

section for electronic access to the draft 

report and plan. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Julie 

Finegan, Office of Policy, Office of the 

Commissioner, Food and Drug 

Administration, 10903 New Hampshire 

Ave., Bldg. 32, Rm. 4252, Silver Spring, 

MD 20993–0002, 301–827–4830. 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1