[Federal Register: December 14, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 240)]
[Notices]               
[Page 75301-75302]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr14de06-130]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

 
Health Services Research and Development Service Merit Review 
Board; Notice of Meeting

    The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) gives notice under Public 
Law 92-463, Federal Advisory Committee Act, that a meeting of the 
Health Services Research and Development Service Merit Review Board 
will be held march 6-8, 2007, at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel, 450 
Powell Street, San Francisco, CA. Various subcommittees of the Board 
will meet during that period. Each subcommittee meeting of the Merit 
Review Board will be open to the public the first day for approximately 
one half-hour from 8 a.m. until 8:30 a.m. to cover administrative 
matters and to discuss the general status of the program. The remaining 
portion of each meeting will be closed. The closed portion of each 
meeting will involve discussion, examination, reference to, and oral 
review of the research proposals and critiques.

[[Page 75302]]

    The purpose of the Board is to review research and development 
applications concerned with the measurement and evaluation of health 
care services, the testing of new methods of health care delivery and 
management, and nursing research. Applications are reviewed for 
scientific and technical merit. Recommendations regarding funding are 
prepared for the Chief Research and Development Officer.
    On Wednesday, March 7, six subcommittees will convene from 8 a.m. 
to 5 p.m. Those subcommittees are Implementation and Management 
Research Science, Chronic Disease Management & Long Term Aging, General 
Health Services Research, Special Populations, Equity/Women's Health 
and the Nursing Research Initiative (NRI). On Thursday, March 8, five 
subcommittees will convene from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Those subcommittees 
are Implementation and Management Research Science (continuation), 
Special Populations (continuation), General Health Services Research 
(continuation), Chronic Disease Management (continuation) and Equity/
Women's Health review group (continuation).
    After the subcommittees meet there will be a debriefing provided to 
members of Health Services Research & Development Service Scientific 
Merit Review Board. This debriefing, by teleconference, will be to 
discuss the outcomes of the review sessions and to ensure the integrity 
and consistency of the review process.
    During the closed portions of the meetings on March 7-8, discussion 
and recommendations will include qualifications of the personnel 
conducting the studies (the disclosure of which would constitute a 
clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy), as well as research 
information (the premature disclosure of which would be likely to 
compromise significantly the implementation of proposed agency action 
regarding such research projects). As provided by subsection 10(d) of 
Public Law 92-463, as amended by Public Law 94-409, closing portions of 
these meetings is in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(6) and (9)(B).
    Those who plan to attend the open session should contact the 
Scientific Merit Review Program Manager (124R), Health Services 
Research and Development Service, Department of Veterans Affairs, 1722 
Eye Street, NW., Washington, DC 20006 at least five days before the 
meeting. For further information, call (202) 254-0207.

    By Direction of the Secretary.

    Dated: December 7, 2006.
E. Philip Riggin,
Committee Management Officer.
[FR Doc. 06-9663 Filed 12-13-06; 8:45 am]

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