[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 155 (Thursday, August 12, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44034-44035]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-20822]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
National Institutes of Health
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney
Diseases (NIDDK)--in close collaboration with the members of its
National Advisory Council, Board of Scientific Counselors, and other
external scientific and lay experts--is embarking on the development of
a Strategic Plan that will be reflective of the Institute's unique
mission, science and culture. As part of the NIH response to
recommendations of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) study on NIH
priority-setting and public input, the NIDDK is required to send a
draft copy of its Strategic Plan to the NIH Director by December 31,
1999. the NIDDK needs and welcomes public input into this process.
The NIDDK wants to develop a process that considers the views of
groups and individuals who are concerned about the Institute's research
programs aimed at expanding knowledge about and reducing the burden of
the diseases within the NIDDK mission. The development of the NIDDK
Strategic Plan will be a continuous, iterative process, during which
draft documents will be shared with the scientific and lay community to
solicit comments and input at steps along the way. The NIDDK's new
Strategic Plan will build upon many existing planning processes that
are already in place within the Institute, as well as upon the plans of
constituent organizations.
The NIDDK expects to develop its Strategic Plan using cross-cutting
scientific themes that unite and underpin the disease-oriented programs
of the Institute. These cross-cutting themes include genetics, cell
biology, mechanisms of disease injury, prevention and treatment of
disease, and research infrastructure. Expert Working Groups will
provide advice to the Institute on these themes. In the NIDDK Strategic
Planning document, disease-oriented research will be used, by way of
example, to highlight these unifying scientific themes. While the Plan
will not contain budget estimates, it should include scientific
implementation strategies for capitalizing on cross-cutting research
opportunities and needs. This conceptual framework for developing the
NIDDK Strategic Plan was presented to and generally endorsed by the
statutory NIDDK National Advisory Council on June 1, 1999.
As one means of gaining public input, the Institute will hold an
``Open Meeting for Public Comment on the NIDDK Strategic Planning
Process'' on Monday, October 18, 1999, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with a
one-hour break for attendees to purchase lunch. This meeting will be
held in Conference Room 10 in Building 31, ``C'' Wing, at the National
Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. The purpose of this meeting
is to enable individuals representing voluntary health and professional
organizations, as well as private citizens, to provide oral comment on
the process and on an
[[Page 44035]]
expanded outline of a working draft document. Members of the NIDDK
National Advisory Council and Senior Staff will be in attendance. Prior
to the public comment, brief presentations will be made by NIDDK Senior
Staff on the different sections of the working draft document.
In an effort to achieve representation across the many diseases
within the mission of the NIDDK, oral presentations at the October 18
meeting will be strictly limited to three minutes in length. In order
to have a written public record of all comments, transcription services
will be available for those who cannot provide a typed copy of their
comments. If you do not wish to or are unable to make an oral
presentation, the NIDDK encourages the submission of written statements
of unspecified length.
Requests for time to give oral presentations should be made in
writing by September 15, 1999 to: Ms. Mary Beth Kester, Program
Analyst, Office of Scientific Program and Policy Analysis, NIDDK, NIH,
31 Center Drive MSC 2560, Building 31, Room 9A07, Bethesda, MD 20892-
2560. Please include in your request any special accommodations that
you may require. Written statements may be submitted to the above
address until October 25, 1999. The NIDDK will assemble a compendium of
all comments received and this compendium will be available for public
access at the NIDDK Office of Scientific Program and Policy Analysis.
Please visit the NIDDK World Wide Web site (http:///
www.niddk.nih.gov), where electronic comments can be made about some of
the features, goals and objectives that the Institute would like to
incorporate in its Strategic Plan, and the preliminary conceptual
framework for developing the document. We are asking that electronic
comments be submitted by October 8, 1999, so that they can be
considered in the development of the Strategic Plan. If you do not have
access to a computer, the NIDDK will provide you with a copy of the
material that is on the World Wide Web site. You may request this
material from: Ms. Mary Beth Kester at the address noted previously.
The NIDDK looks forward to working with the research community and
the public to develop its Strategic Plan.
Dated: August 2, 1999.
Ms. Carol Feld,
Associate Director for Scientific, Program and Policy Analysis, NIDDK,
NIH.
[FR Doc. 99-20822 Filed 8-11-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-M