2019-20705. Proposed Data Collection Submitted for Public Comment and Recommendations

AGENCY:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACTION:

Notice with comment period.

SUMMARY:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as part of its continuing effort to reduce public burden and maximize the utility of government information, invites the general public and other Federal agencies the opportunity to comment on a proposed and/or continuing information collection, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This notice invites comment on a proposed information collection project titled CDC Fellowship Programs Assessments (OMB Control No. 0920-1163) This data collection is being submitted to assist CDC with quality improvement of CDC fellowship programs.

DATES:

CDC must receive written comments on or before November 25, 2019.

ADDRESSES:

You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CDC-2019-0084 by any of the following methods:

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
• Mail: Jeffrey M. Zirger, Lead, Information Collection Review Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road NE, MS-D74, Atlanta, Georgia 30329.

Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name and Docket Number. CDC will post, without change, all relevant comments to Regulations.gov.

Please note: Submit all comments through the Federal eRulemaking portal (regulations.gov) or by U.S. mail to the address listed above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

To request more information on the proposed project or to obtain a copy of the information collection plan and instruments, contact Jeffrey M. Zirger, Information Collection Review Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road NE, MS-D74, Atlanta, Georgia 30329; phone: [phone]; Email: [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), Federal agencies must obtain approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for each collection of information they conduct or sponsor. In addition, the PRA also requires Federal agencies to provide a 60-day notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of information, including each new proposed collection, each proposed extension of existing collection of information, and each reinstatement of previously approved information collection before submitting the collection to the OMB for approval. To comply with this requirement, we are publishing this notice of a proposed data collection as described below.

The OMB is particularly interested in comments that will help:

1. Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information will have practical utility;

2. Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used;

3. Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and

4. Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submissions of responses.

5. Assess information collection costs.

Proposed Project

Data Collection for CDC Fellowship Programs—Extension—Division of Scientific Education and Professional Development (DSEPD), Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services (CSELS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

CDC's mission is to protect America from health, safety, and security threats, both foreign, and in the U.S. To ensure a competent, sustainable, and empowered public health workforce prepared to meet these challenges, CDC plays a key role in developing, implementing, and managing a number of fellowship programs. A fellowship is defined as a training or work experience lasting at least one month and consisting of primarily experiential (i.e., on-the-job) learning, in which the trainee has a designated mentor or supervisor. CDC fellowships are intended to develop public health professionals, enhance the public health workforce, and strengthen collaborations with partners in public health and healthcare organizations, academia, and other stakeholders in governmental and non-governmental organizations. Assessing fellowship activities is essential to ensure that the public health workforce is equipped to promote and protect the public's health.

CDC requests a three-year extension of a generic clearance to collect data about its fellowship programs, as they relate to public health workforce development. Data collections will allow for ongoing, collaborative, and actionable communications between CDC fellowship programs and stakeholders (e.g., fellows, supervisors/mentors, alumni). These collections might include short surveys, interviews, and focus groups. Intended use of the resulting information is to:

• Inform planning, implementation, and continuous quality improvement of fellowship activities and services;
• improve efficiencies in the delivery of fellowship activities and services; and
• determine to what extent fellowship activities and services are achieving established goals.

Collection and use of information about CDC fellowship activities will help ensure effective, efficient, and satisfying experiences among fellowship program participants and stakeholders.

CDC estimates that annually, a given fellowship program will conduct one query each with one of the three respondent groups: Fellowship applicants or fellows; mentors, supervisors, or employers; and alumni. The total annualized burden hours are estimated to be 2,957. OMB approval is requested for three years. There are no costs to respondents other than their time.

Estimated Annualized Burden Hours

Type of respondents	Form name	Number of respondents	Number of responses per respondent	Average burden per response (in hours)	Total burden (in hours)
Applicants or fellows	Fellowship Data Collection Instrument	1,848	1	30/60	924
Mentors, supervisors, or employers	Fellowship Data Collection Instrument	370	1	30/60	185
Alumni	Fellowship Data Collection Instrument	3,696	1	30/60	1,848
Total					2,957

Jeffrey M. Zirger,

Lead, Information Collection Review Office, Office of Scientific Integrity, Office of Science, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.