54950 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 180 / Monday, September 19, 2005 / Notices 

Contact Person: Lawrence Baizer, PhD, 

Scientific Review Administrator, Center for 

Scientific Review, National Institutes of 

Health, 6701 Rockledge Drive, Room 4152, 

MSC 7850, Bethesda, MD 20892, (301) 435–

1257. baizerl@csr.nih.gov. 

Name of Committee: Center for Scientific 

Review Special Emphasis Panel, Clinical 

Neuroscience and Disease. 

Date: October 17–18, 2005. 

Time: 11 a.m. to 11 a.m. 

Agenda: To review and evaluate grant 

applications. 

Place: Embassy Suites at the Chevy Chase 

Pavillion, 4300 Military Road, NW., 

Washington, DC 20015. 

Contact Person: Seetha Bhagavan, PhD, 

Scientific Review Administrator, Center for 

Scientific Review, National Institutes of 

Health, 6701 Rockledge Drive, Room 3022D, 

MSC 7846, Bethesda, MD 20892, (301) 435–

1121. bhagavas@csr.nih.gov. 

Name of Committee: Genes, Genomes, and 

Genetics Integrated Review Group, 

Genomics, Computational Biology and 

Technology Study Section. 

Date: October 17–18, 2005. 

Time: 5 p.m. to 5 p.m. 

Agenda: To review and evaluate grant 

applications. 

Place: Holiday Inn Select, 480 King Street, 

Alexandria, VA 22314. 

Contact Person: Camilla E. Day, PhD, 

Scientific Review Administrator, Center for 

Scientific Review, National Institutes of 

Health, 6701 Rockledge Drive, Room 5148, 

MSC 7890, Bethesda, MD 20892, (301) 435–

1037. dayc@csr.nih.gov. 

(Catalogue of Federal Domestic Assistance 

Program Nos. 93.306, Comparative Medicine; 

93.333, Clinical Research, 93.306, 93.333, 

93.337, 93.393–93.396, 93.837–93.844, 

93.846–93.878, 93.892, 93.893, National 

Institutes of Health, HHS) 

Dated: September 12, 2005. 

Anthony M. Coelho, Jr., 

Acting Director, Office of Federal Advisory 

Committee Policy. 

[FR Doc. 05–18598 Filed 9–16–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4140–01–M 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

National Institutes of Health 

National Institute of Dental & 

Craniofacial Research; Request for 

Public Comment 

Notice is hereby given that the Blue 

Ribbon Panel (BRP) on the Future of the 

National Institute of Dental and 

Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) 

Intramural Program (IRP) is soliciting 

input from interested parties. 

This Panel was established by the 

Institute as a follow-up to a similar 

Panel established in 1992 in response to 

a recommendation from the then 

National Advisory Dental Research 

Council (NADRC) to provide advice to 

the Director, NIDCR. Subsequently, the 

External Advisory Committee (EAC) on 

the Intramural Research Program of the 

National Institutes of Health (NIH) 

recommended that individual reviews 

of each intramural program be 

conducted. In addition to addressing 

issues unique to each Institute, panels 

are asked to review the following transNIH issues: 

• Innovation/impact of research 

• Basic organization of the intramural 

program (laboratory and branch 

structure) 

• Effectiveness of the Board of 

Scientific Counselors (BSC) review 

process 

• Optimal balance between clinical 

and lab-based research 

• Funding balance between 

intramural and extramural 

• Quality of post-doctoral training 

(Career development) 

• Recruitment issues (Underrepresented individuals and missing 

areas of expertise) 

• Interactions with the Office of the 

Director, other Institutes, central 

services (Office of Research Services, 

Clinical Center, Center for Information 

Technology)—special problems or 

opportunities 

In response to the recommendation of 

the EAC, the NIDCR has selected a Panel 

composed of 10 members who are 

expert in a variety of relevant 

specialities within biomedical research. 

The Panel will report its findings and 

recommendations to the National 

Advisory Dental and Craniofacial 

Research Council for deliberation. To 

assure input from the public and other 

stakeholders, the Panel encourages 

written public testimony to be 

submitted no later than the close of 

business on December 30, 2005. Written 

input, limited to no more than 5 doublespaced pages using 12 point font and no 

less than 11⁄2 inch margins, should be 

restricted to the questions before the 

Panel and should be addressed to Dr. 

Norman S. Braveman, Assistant to the 

Director, NIDCR, Building 31, Room 

5B55, 31 Center Drive, Bethesda, 

Maryland 20892. While e-mail 

submissions are acceptable, they must 

also be accompanied by signed hardcopy submissions which must arrive no 

later than close of business on December 

30, 2005. 

Background 

The NIDCR IRP, now in its 57th year, 

is recognized as one of the premier 

dental research institutions in the 

world. Research conducted in the IRP is 

unique insofar as it provides scientists 

the opportunity to work on high-risk 

innovative projects in a world class 

multi-disciplinary environment. At the 

same time, research conducted within 

the IRP is not intended to mirror 

research supported by the Institute in 

the extramural community. Basic and 

clinical research carried out in the IRP 

forms the basis for new directions in 

oral, dental and craniofacial sciences. 

Specific information about the 

organization of, and research conducted 

by, the IRP can be found at http:// 

www.nidcr.nih.gov/Research/ 

Intramural/default.htm. It conducts 

research in a wide range of basic and 

clinical science and is currently 

organized around seven units including: 

Craniofacial and skeletal diseases 

branch; craniofacial developmental 

biology and regeneration branch; gene 

therapy and therapeutics branch; 

laboratory of oral sensory biology; oral 

and pharyngeal cancer branch; oral 

infection and immunity branch; pain 

and neurosensory mechanisms branch. 

Using the latest techniques in 

biomedical science researchers 

currently investigate the molecular 

mechanisms of taste; the biochemistry, 

structure, function and development of 

bone, teeth, salivary glands and 

connective tissues; interactions between 

pathogens and oral tissues that cause 

infectious and inflammatory diseases; 

genetic disorders and tumors of the oral 

cavity; the cause and treatment of acute 

and chronic pain; and the development 

of new and improved methods to 

diagnose and treat oral disease. 

Rationale for Establishing a Blue 

Ribbon Panel 

While the science conducted within 

each laboratory of the NIDCR IRP is 

assessed on a four-year cycle by the 

Board of Scientific Counselors (BSC) it 

has been approximately 12 years since 

the overall structure and function of the 

entire IRP has been examined. BSC 

reviews are focused mainly on the 

quality of science conducted during the 

previous four-year period by a given 

laboratory or branch and, as such, 

insure that the Institute is supporting 

only the most meritorious research. 

These reviews, however, do not address 

the overall direction of the IRP, since 

they are focused on individual 

laboratories or branches. 

While the Institute has been able to 

capitalize on the advice provided as the 

result of the previous BRP, during the 

past several years the face of science has 

changed more rapidly than in any other 

era. Advances in bioinformatics, 

genomics, molecular and developmental 

biology have provided us with tools to 

ask new and important questions that 

will inevitably lead to advances in 

prevention, diagnosis and treatment of 

Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 180 / Monday, September 19, 2005 / Notices 54951 

oral, dental and craniofacial diseases. In 

this context it is important for the 

Institute to insure that the future 

configuration of the IRP will maximize 

progress toward the goals that have been 

set for the IRP in the new era of 

biomedical research. 

Charge to the Panel 

Since the Panel is charged with 

assessing the future opportunities and 

challenges for the IRP within broad 

goals that have already been set, the 

focus of the BRP will be to provide 

recommendations for an efficient and 

effective alignment of the IRP with 

directions and opportunities and 

resources available within the broader 

framework of NIH intramural research 

programs and the interest of the 

Institute complementing, rather than 

duplicating research already supported 

through the extramural research 

program of the Institute. To accomplish 

this, the BRP will address challenges to 

the IRP in the context of its mission, its 

relationship with the overall mission of 

the Institute, its position within the 

larger NIH intramural environment, and 

its relationship to the extramural 

program supported by the NIDCR. The 

Panel will be asked to provide advice 

about how to best position the IRP, 

using both current and to-be-developed 

resources, in a way that will maximize 

its contributions to current, emerging 

and future research questions about 

prevention, diagnosis and treatment of 

dental, oral and craniofacial diseases. 

Questions to the Panel 

The specific questions to be addressed 

by the Panel and written public 

comment are drawn from the list of 

topics suggested by the EAC: 

• Innovation/impact of research on 

the broader field including the extent to 

which research conducted in NIDCR IRP 

laboratories influences research 

conducted throughout the world 

• Basic organization of the intramural 

program (laboratory and branch 

structure) including the optimal use of 

resources and opportunities unique to 

NIH-based scientists as well as the 

extent to which the organization 

facilitates partnerships and 

collaborations within the IRP and with 

other research entities (e.g., those 

supported by NIDCR extramural 

research grants, other NIH IRP 

scientists, industry) conducting research 

• Effectiveness of the BSC review 

process in identifying world-class 

innovative research and in providing 

guidance for future research directions 

• Optimal balance and connection 

between clinical and lab-based research 

• Balance between intramural and 

extramural research programs including 

funding levels and scientific topics 

covered by each 

• Quality of post-doctoral training 

(career development) including 

preparation for independent research 

funded by government and nongovernment sources 

• Recruitment issues (underrepresented individuals and missing 

areas of expertise) including specific 

areas to redress gaps 

• Interactions with the Office of the 

Director, other Institutes, central 

services (Office of Research Services, 

Clinical Center, Center for Information 

Technology) including special problems 

or opportunities that may affect the 

mission and directions of the IRP 

Members of the public interested in 

providing their views to the Panel are 

asked to restrict their comments to the 

specific areas outlined above. 

Further Information 

For further information, please 

contact: Dr. Norman S. Braveman, 

Assistant to the Director, NIDCR, 

Building 31, Room 5B55, 31 Center 

Drive, Bethesda, Maryland 20892; 

telephone (301) 594–2089; fax (301) 

480–0964. 

Dated: September 12, 2005. 

Anthony M. Coelho, Jr., 

Acting Director, Office of Federal Advisory 

Committee Policy. 

[FR Doc. 05–18602 Filed 9–16–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4140–01–M 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

National Institutes of Health 

Potential Privatization of the Journal 

‘‘Environmental Health Perspectives;’’

Request for Comment 

AGENCY: National Institute of 

Environmental Health Sciences 

(NIEHS), National Institutes of Health 

(NIH), Department of Health and Human 

Services (DHHS). 

ACTION: Request for Comment. 

SUMMARY: For several decades, NIEHS 

has published Environmental Health 

Perspectives (EHP), a leading 

biomedical publication in the field of 

environmental health science, to 

provide a forum for research in 

environmental health science. EHP has 

well fulfilled this purpose, but NIEHS is 

now considering new channels to 

inform scientists, clinicians, patients, 

families, and the general public about 

environmental health research findings. 

NIEHS is exploring web-based and other 

methods to disseminate such 

information and anticipates 

development of a new system to 

communicate important recent findings 

in a timely and efficient manner. 

NIEHS conducts ongoing review of all 

its research, training, and 

communications programs and has 

recently determined that it is now 

appropriate to consider phasing out 

Institute sponsorship of this journal. 

NIEHS has not reached a final decision 

about potential privatization of EHP nor 

has an implementation plan for carrying 

out such a decision been developed. 

Should such a decision be reached, it is 

our goal to implement it in a manner 

that will be least disruptive to the field 

and to authors, reviewers, editorial 

board, staff, and subscribers. The 

current request for comment poses a 

series of questions around core elements 

that may comprise an implementation 

plan for privatization of EHP. These 

elements include: (1) Feasibility of 

privatizing EHP, (2) a business plan for 

continuation of the journal, (3) a 

timeline and plan for transfer of 

responsibility, (4) an editorial policy 

plan, and (5) continued online access. 

DATES: Comments must be received by 

October 28, 2005. 

ADDRESSES: Comments should be 

submitted at http://www.niehs.nih.gov/ 

external/ehp/home.htm. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

EHPfeedback@niehs.nih.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background Information on EHP 

EHP’s mission is to disseminate 

credible environmental and 

occupational health information around 

the world. An overarching goal is to 

raise global awareness of the 

connectivity between the environment 

and human health. EHP is read in nearly 

every country of the world. EHP has an 

impact factor of 3.93 and an Immediacy 

Index of 1.20, ranking the journal 

second of 132 environmental sciences 

journals and fifth of 90 public, 

environmental, and occupational health 

journals. As a full open-access journal, 

EHP provides XML-formatted content to 

the digital archive Pubmed Central. EHP 

also has partnerships with Medscape 

and JSTOR.org (an organization that 

maintains an archive of scholarly 

journal) to facilitate access and 

distribution of EHP’s content. 

Electronic submission and review are 

the norm for the 1,200 manuscripts that 

EHP receives annually, and the rejection 

rate is about 80%. EHP publishes all 

articles within 24 hours of acceptance 

on its Web site (http://