03-3826. Medical Research Service Merit Review Committee, Notice of Meetings

The Department of Veterans Affairs gives notice under the Public Law 92-463 (Federal Advisory Committee Act) that the subcommittees of the Medical Research Service Merit Review will meet from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. as indicated below:

Subcommittee for	Date(s)	Location
Alcoholism & Drug Dependence	March 17, 2003	Holiday Inn Central.
Immunology & Dermatology	March 17-18, 2003	Holiday Inn. Central.
Neurobiology-D	March 20-21, 2003	Hotel Washington.
Infectious Diseases	March 20-21, 2003	Holiday Inn. Central.
Surgery	March 24, 2003	Hotel Washington.
Oncology	March 24-25, 2003	Hotel Washington.
Mental Health & Behav Sciences	March 25-26, 2003	Hotel Washington.
Cardiovascular Studies	March 27, 2003	Holiday Inn. Central.
Epidemiology	March 28, 2003	Holiday Inn. Central.
Gastroenterology	March 31-April 1, 2003	Holiday Inn. Central.
Respiration	April 1, 2003	Holiday Inn. Central.
Endocrinology	April 3-4, 2003	Marriott Residence Inn.
Nephrology	April 7, 2003	Hotel Washington.
General Medical Science	April 8, 2003	Hotel Washington.
Hematology	April 11, 2003	Holiday Inn. Central.
Clinical Research Program	April 15, 2003	Holiday Inn. Central.
Neurobiology-C	April 25, 2003	Holiday Inn. Central.
Aging and Clinical Geriatrics	April 25, 2003	Holiday Inn. Central.
Medical Research Service Merit Review Committee	June 5, 2003	Marriott Residence Inn.

The addresses of the hotels are:

Holiday Inn. Central., 1501 Rhode Island Avenue, NW., Washington., DC

Hotel Washington., 515—15th Street, NW., Washington., DC

Marriott Residence Inn. (Thomas Circle), 1199 Vermont Avenue, NW., Washington., DC

These subcommittee meetings are for the purpose of evaluating the scientific merit of research conducted in each specialty by Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) investigators working in VA Medical Centers and Clinics.

The subcommittee meetings will be open to the public for approximately one hour at the start of each meeting to discuss the general status of the program. The remaining portion of each subcommittee meeting will be closed to the public for the review, discussion, and evaluation of initial and renewal projects.

The closed portion of the meetings involves discussion, examination, reference to and oral review of site visits, staff and consultant critiques of research protocols and similar documents. During this portion of the subcommittee meetings, discussion and recommendations will deal with qualifications of 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 could significantly frustrate 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 subcommittee meetings is in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(6) and (9)(B). Those who plan to attend or would like to obtain a copy of minutes of the subcommittee meetings and rosters of the members of the subcommittees should contact LeRoy G. Frey, Ph.D., Chief, Program Review Division, Medical Research Service, Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington, DC, [phone].

Dated: February 7, 2003.

By Direction of the Secretary.

E. Philip Riggin,

Committee Management Officer.