Notice of Meeting: Secretary's Advisory Committee on Genetic Testing

Pursuant to Public Law 92-463, notice is hereby given of the eleventh meeting of the Secretary's Advisory Committee on Genetic Testing (SACGT), U.S. Public Health Service. The meeting will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on November 15, 2001 and 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on November 16, 2001 at the Bethesda Marriott, 5151 Pooks Hill Road, Bethesda, MD 20814. The meeting will be open to the public with attendance limited to space available.

The Committee will discuss a number of topics, including the status of FDA activities to implement SACGT's recommendations for oversight of all new genetic tests; the outcomes and discussion of a roundtable meeting convened by the Education Work Group on how genetics fits into current or future health practice, major genetics educational needs of various disciplines of professions (e.g., core competencies, faculty needs, and training issues), and obstacles and gaps in the integration of genetics into health professional education and practice; and the Informed Consent Work Group's draft brochure for the general public on genetic testing and the status of the development of principles of informed consent in clinical and public health settings. The Committee will also begin exploring issues in the development, oversight, availability and accessibility of genetic tests for rare diseases through a number of invited presentations. In addition, the Committee is scheduled to be briefed by Congressional staff on the status of genetic discrimination legislation. Time will be provided for public comment and interested individuals should notify the contact person listed below.

Under authority of 42 U.S.C. 217a, Section 222 of the Public Health Service Act, as amended, the Department of Health and Human Services established SACGT to advise and make recommendations to the Secretary through the Assistant Secretary for Health on all aspects of the development and use of genetic tests. SACGT is directed to: (1) Recommend policies and procedures for the safe and effective incorporation of genetic technologies into health care; (2) assess the effectiveness of existing and future measures for oversight of genetic tests; and (3) identify research needs related to the Committee's purview.

The draft meeting agenda and other information about SACGT will be available at the following web site: http://www4.od.nih.gov/oba/sacgt.htm. Individuals who wish to provide public comment or who plan to attend the meeting and need special assistance, such as sign language interpretation or other reasonable accommodations, should notify the SACGT Executive Secretary, Ms. Sarah Carr, by telephone at 301-496-9838 or E-mail at sc112c@nih.gov. The SACGT office is located at 6705 Rockledge Drive, Suite 750, Bethesda, Maryland 20892.