Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 247 / Wednesday, December 26, 2001 / Notices 66417

at the meeting, are available upon request to the

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System,

Washington, D.C. 20551. The minutes are published

in the Federal Reserve Bulletin and in the Board’s

annual report.

The Federal Open Market Committee

seeks monetary and financial conditions

that will foster price stability and

promote sustainable growth in output.

To further its long-run objectives, the

Committee in the immediate future

seeks conditions in reserve markets

consistent with reducing the federal

funds rate to an average of around 2

percent.

By order of the Federal Open Market

Committee, December 17, 2001.

Donald L. Kohn,

Secretary, Federal Open Market Committee.

[FR Doc. 01–31606 Filed 12–21–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6210–01–S

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND

HUMAN SERVICES

Office of the Secretary

Findings of Scientific Misconduct

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that

the Office of Research Integrity (ORI)

and the Assistant Secretary for Health

have taken final action in the following

case:

Ms. Vilma Valentin, Boston University

School of Medicine: Based on the report

of an investigation conducted by the

Boston University (BU) School of

Medicine (BU Report) as well as

additional analysis conducted by ORI in

its oversight review, the U.S. Public

Health Service (PHS) found that Ms.

Vilma Valentin, a former counselor and

interventionist on the BU Inner City

Asthma Study at the BU School of

Medicine, engaged in scientific

misconduct by fabricating records in

research funded by two National

Institute of Allergy and Infectious

Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of

Health (NIH), cooperative agreements:

U01 AI39776, ‘‘Data Coordinating

Center for NCICAS II,’’ and U01

AI39769, ‘‘Trial of Interventions to

Reduce Asthma Morbidity.’’

Specifically, PHS found that Ms.

Valentin fabricated: (1) The data on

three environmental intervention forms

for visits that she allegedly made to two

patients’ homes in early and late August

1999; these visits did not take place; and

(2) the reports of two telephone calls

that she allegedly made to the two

patients’ families during the same

period; these calls were not made. The

study intervention included home

visits, telephone calls, and advocacy

letters, all of which were central to the

research, which sought to evaluate the

effectiveness of two interventions to

reduce asthma severity. Thus, the data

and reports could have had a

substantive effect on the outcome of the

research had the institution not

corrected the research record.

While acknowledging the findings of

scientific misconduct as set forth above

and in the BU Report but without

admitting liability or wrongdoing, Ms.

Valentin has entered into a Voluntary

Exclusion Agreement in which she has

voluntarily agreed for a period of three

(3) years, beginning on December 5,

2001:

(1) To exclude herself from serving in

any advisory capacity to PHS, including

but not limited to service on any PHS

advisory committee, board, and/or peer

review committee, or as a consultant;

and

(2) That any institution that submits

an application for PHS support for a

research project on which Ms.

Valentin’s participation is proposed,

that uses her in any capacity on PHSsupported research, or that submits a

report of PHS-funded research in which

she is involved, must concurrently

submit a plan for supervision of her

duties to the funding agency for

approval. The supervisory plan must be

designed to ensure the scientific

integrity of Ms. Valentin’s research

contribution.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Director, Division of Investigative

Oversight, Office of Research Integrity

5515 Security Lane, Suite 700,

Rockville, MD 20852, (301) 443–5330.

Chris B. Pascal,

Director, Office of Research Integrity.

[FR Doc. 01–31579 Filed 12–21–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4150–31–P

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND

HUMAN SERVICES

Agency for Healthcare Research and

Quality

Notice of Meetings

In accordance with section 10(d) of

the Federal Advisory Committee Act as

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

Agency for Healthcare Research and

Quality (AHRQ) announces meetings of

scientific peer review groups. The peer

review groups listed below are

subcommittees of the Agency’s Health

Services Research Initial Review Group

Committee.

The subcommittee meetings will be

closed to the public in accordance with

the Federal Advisory Committee Act,

section 10(d) of 5 U.S.C., Appendix 2

and 5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(6). Grant

applications are to be reviewed and

discussed at these meetings. These

discussions are likely to reveal personal

information concerning individuals

associated with the applications. This

information is exempt from mandatory

disclosure under the above-cited

statutes.

1. Name of Subcommittee: Health Care

Research Training.

Date: January 24–25, 2002 (Open from 8

a.m. to 8:15 a.m. and closed for remainder of

the meeting).

Place: AHRQ 6010 Executive Boulevard,

4th Floor Conference Center, Rockville,

Maryland 20852.

2. Name of Subcommittee: Health Care

Technology and Decision Sciences.

Date: February 21–22, 2002 (Open from 8

a.m. to 8:15 a.m. and closed for remainder of

the meeting).

Place: AHRQ 6010 Executive Boulevard,

4th Floor Conference Center, Rockville,

Maryland 20852.

3. Name of Subcommittee: Health Systems

Research.

Date: February 28–March 1, 2002 (Open

from 8 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. and closed for

remainder of the meeting).

Place: AHRQ 6010 Executive Boulevard,

4th Floor Conference Center, Rockville,

Maryland 20852.

4. Name of Subcommittee: Health Research

Dissemination and Implementation.

Date: February 28–March 1, 2002 (Open

from 8 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. and closed for

remainder of the meeting).

Place: AHRQ 6010 Executive Boulevard,

4th Floor Conference Center, Rockville,

Maryland 20852.

5. Name of Subcommittee: Health Care

Quality and Effectiveness Research.

Date: March 7–8, 2002 (Open from 8 a.m.

to 8:15 a.m. and closed for remainder of the

meeting).

Place: AHRQ 6010 Executive Boulevard,

4th Floor Conference Center, Rockville,

Maryland 20852.

Contact Person: Anyone wishing to obtain

a roster of members, agenda or minutes of the

nonconfidential portions of the meetings

should contact Mrs. Bonnie Campbell,

Committee Management Officer, Office of

Research Review, Education and Policy,

AHRQ, 2101 East Jefferson Street, Suite 400,

Rockville, Maryland 20852, Telephone (301)

594–1846.

Agenda items for these meetings are

subject to change as priorities dictate.

Dated: December 18, 2001.

John M. Eisenberg,

Director.

[FR Doc. 01–31617 Filed 12–21–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4160–90–M