Request for Information: Inviting Comments To Inform the Women's Health Consensus Conference (WHCC)

Primary source

Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.

Published

July 1, 2021

Issuing agencies

Health and Human Services DepartmentNational Institutes of Health

Abstract

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH) is planning a Women's Health Consensus Conference (WHCC) in October 2021, in response to a Congressional request to address NIH research efforts related to women's health research as well as the following specific conditions, rising maternal morbidity and mortality rates, increasing rates of chronic debilitating conditions in women, and stagnant cervical cancer survival rates. The ORWH is seeking comments and testimonies from the extramural scientific community, professional societies, and the general public regarding the topics mentioned above to assist with identifying research gaps, pitfalls in clinical practices, and obtaining real-life testimonial experiences (direct or indirect) caused by any or all of the listed public health issues.

Full Text

<html>
<head>
<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 124 (Thursday, July 1, 2021)</title>
</head>
<body><pre>
[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 124 (Thursday, July 1, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35099-35100]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-14151]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health

Request for Information: Inviting Comments To Inform the Women's
Health Consensus Conference (WHCC)

AGENCY: National Institutes of Health, HHS.

ACTION: Request for information.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Research on
Women's Health (ORWH) is planning a Women's Health Consensus Conference
(WHCC) in October 2021, in response to a Congressional request to
address NIH research efforts related to women's health research as well
as the following specific conditions, rising maternal morbidity and
mortality rates, increasing rates of chronic debilitating conditions in
women, and stagnant cervical cancer survival rates. The ORWH is seeking
comments and testimonies from the extramural scientific community,
professional societies, and the general public regarding the topics
mentioned above to assist with identifying research gaps, pitfalls in
clinical practices, and obtaining real-life testimonial experiences
(direct or indirect) caused by any or all of the listed public health
issues.

DATES: The Women's Health Consensus Conference (WHCC) Request for
Information is open for public comment through September 15, 2021.
Comments must be received by September 15, 2021, to ensure
consideration. Comments received after the public comment period has
closed may be considered by the Office of Research on Women's Health.

ADDRESSES: Submissions must be sent electronically to Elizabeth Barr,
Ph.D., <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#792e313a3a39161d57171011571e160f"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="faadb2b9b9ba959ed4949392d49d958c">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions about this request for
information should be directed to Elizabeth Barr, Ph.D., Office of
Research on Women's Health, 6707 Democracy Boulevard, Suite 400,
Bethesda, MD 20817, <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#9dcad5dededdf2f9b3f3f4f5b3faf2eb"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="04534c4747446b602a6a6d6c2a636b72">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>, 301-402-7895.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: ORWH was established at NIH on September 10,
1990. The Office was reaffirmed by statute in congressional legislation
by the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993 (Pub. L. 103-43, Section 486) to
serve as the focal point for women's health research at NIH, reporting
directly to the NIH Director, and working in a collaborative
partnership with the Institutes, Centers, and Offices. ORWH is
convening the Women's Health Consensus Conference in response to
significant items (SI) in H.R. 7614--Departments of Labor, Health and
Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act
(2021). The SIs require that a consensus forum assessing research on
the health of women be held by the fall of 2021.
Goals and Requirements. Both the House and Senate directed NIH to
evaluate research underway related to women's health and provide an
update on priority areas for additional study to advance women's health
research, including reproductive sciences. In preparation for the WHCC,
ORWH, and partners from other NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices will
assess the current state of NIH-supported women's health research;
delineate research gaps and, in turn, opportunities related to research
on the health of women; and set contemporary priorities for research on
the health of women. The following specific topics, among others, will
be addressed: Maternal morbidity and mortality,<SUP>1 2</SUP> the
rising rates of chronic debilitating conditions in women \3\ and
stagnant cervical cancer survival rates.\4\ To inform the WHCC meeting
and discussion, ORWH seeks comment and testimony on current research
efforts on the health of women.

1. Maternal Morbidity and Mortality

Birthing people in the United States are dying during the postnatal
period from conditions that can be treated, such as cardiovascular
disease, hypertension, thrombotic pulmonary embolism, and hemorrhage,
among others. An estimated six in ten maternal deaths are
preventable.\5\ The public health challenge is to reduce U.S. maternal
mortality rates (17.2 per 100,000 live births in 2011-15) \6\ to be
comparable with or lower than other first world countries such as
United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Canada (rates all below 9.2 per
100,000 live births in 2015).\7\
Individual, behavioral, and structural factors influence incidence
of maternal morbidity and mortality.\5\ Structural racism,\5\ implicit
bias,\6\ & racially biased policies and practices \7\ contribute to
significant and persistent racial disparities in maternal morbidity and
mortality. From 2011-2015 non-Hispanic Black and American Indian/Alaska
Native women had the highest incidences of pregnancy-related deaths.
Black women are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related
cause than White women,\6\ in New York City, Black women are twelve
times more likely than White women to die from pregnancy-related
causes.\8\ Similar racial disparities exist in maternal morbidity.\9\
Neither education nor higher socioeconomic status mitigates the
elevated risks of severe maternal morbidity and maternal mortality
among Black women.

2. Chronic Debilitating Conditions in Women

Chronic Debilitating Conditions include diseases that occur in both
men and women such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and
autoimmune diseases as well as sex-specific conditions such as fibroids
and endometriosis. In the United States, six in ten adults have a
chronic disease; chronic disease is the leading cause of death and
disabilities.\10\
Rates of many chronic diseases in women are rising, for example
COPD in women,\11\ and new discoveries related to sex-difference and
molecular mechanisms of disease are being published every day.\12\
Biomedical and socio-behavioral understandings of sex

[[Page 35100]]

and gender influences on mechanisms and outcomes of chronic diseases
are incomplete, reducing the specificity, sensitivity, and efficacy of
diagnostic tests and treatments for women. Research on rare diseases
that are more prevalent in women or only occur in women faces similar
challenges.

3. Stagnant Cervical Cancer Survival Rates

In the United States it is estimated approximately 12,000 new cases
of cervical cancer occur each year. Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the
cause of cervical cancer as well as a large percentage of cancers of
the vulva, vagina, penis, anus, rectum, and oropharynx.\13\ Despite
cancer prevention efforts through HPV vaccination and cervical cancer
screening, incidence and mortality from this malignancy have been
stable for the last two decades. Communities historically under-
represented in medicine are disproportionately burdened by this
disease. The incidence rate of cervical cancer is 30 percent higher in
Black women \14\ and Black women persistently present at later stages
at diagnosis.\15\ The overall 5-year relative survival rate for
cervical cancer among Black women is 56 percent, compared with 68
percent among White women.\14\

Information Requested

This Request for Information (RFI) invites the scientific
community, health professionals, professional societies, and the
general public to provide comments and testimonies on research gaps,
pitfalls in clinical practices, and obtaining real-life testimonial
experiences (direct or indirect) related to any or all of the listed
public health issues. Responses are welcome from associations and
professional organizations as well as individuals.
This RFI is for planning purposes only and should not be construed
as a solicitation or an obligation on the federal government, the
National Institutes of Health, or individual NIH Institutes or Centers.
Responses to this RFI Notice are voluntary. The NIH will use the
information submitted in response to this RFI at its discretion. NIH
will analyze the information submitted and may share it internally or
in reports. The information may or may not be reflected in future
solicitations, as appropriate and at the government's discretion. NIH
advises respondents the government is under no obligation to
acknowledge receipt of the information provided and will not provide
feedback to respondents. The federal government will not pay for the
preparation of any information submitted or for the government's use.
NIH will not consider submitted information confidential. Additionally,
the government cannot guarantee the confidentiality of the information
provided.

References

1. Hoyert DL. Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2019.
NCHS Health E-Stats. 2021.
2. Collier AY, Molina RL. Maternal Mortality in the United States:
Updates on Trends, Causes, and Solutions. Neoreviews.
2019;20(10):e561-e574.
3. Raghupathi W, Raghupathi V. An Empirical Study of Chronic
Diseases in the United States: A Visual Analytics Approach. Int J
Environ Res Public Health. 2018;15(3).
4. Gaffney DK, Hashibe M, Kepka D, Maurer KA, Werner TL. Too many
women are dying from cervix cancer: Problems and solutions. Gynecol
Oncol. 2018;151(3):547-554.
5. National Institutes of Health, Office of Research on Women's
Health. Maternal Morbidity and Mortality What do we Know? How are we
Addressing it? 20-OD-80692020:1-16.
6. Petersen EE DN, Goodman D, et al. Vital Signs: Pregnancy-Related
Deaths, United States, 2011-2015, and Strategies for Prevention, 13
States, 2013-2017. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2019(68):423-429.
7. GDB 2015 Maternal Mortality Collaborators. Global, regional, and
national levels of maternal mortality, 1990-2015: A systematic
analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015. Lancet.
2016;388(10053):1775-1812.
8. New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Bureau of
Maternal, Infant, and Reproductive Health. Pregnancy-Associated
Mortality, New York City, 2006-2010.
9. Howell EA, Egorova NN, Balbierz A, Zeitlin J, Hebert PL. Site of
delivery contribution to black-white severe maternal morbidity
disparity. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
2016;215(2):143-152.
10. National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health
Promotion. Chronic Diseases in America. <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/infographic/chronic-diseases.htm">https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/infographic/chronic-diseases.htm</a>. Updated
1/12/2021.
11. Bade BC, DeRycke EC, Ramsey C, et al. Sex Differences in
Veterans Admitted to the Hospital for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary
Disease Exacerbation. Ann Am Thorac Soc. 2019;16(6):707-714.
12. De Bellis A, De Angelis G, Fabris E, Cannata A, Merlo M, Sinagra
G. Gender-related differences in heart failure: Beyond the ``one-
size-fits-all'' paradigm. Heart Fail Rev. 2020;25(2):245-255.
13. Viens LJ HS, Watson M, et al. Human Papillomavirus-Associated
Cancers--United States, 2008-2012. Weekly 2016(65):661-666.
14. DeSantis CE, Miller KD, Goding Sauer A, Jemal A, Siegel RL.
Cancer statistics for African Americans, 2019. CA Cancer J Clin.
2019;69(3):211-233.
15. Benard VB, Watson M, Saraiya M, et al. Cervical cancer survival
in the United States by race and stage (2001-2009): Findings from
the CONCORD-2 study. Cancer. 2017;123 Suppl 24(Suppl 24):5119-5137.

Dated: June 25, 2021.
Lawrence A. Tabak,
Principal Deputy Director, National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. 2021-14151 Filed 6-30-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P

</pre><script data-cfasync="false" src="/cdn-cgi/scripts/5c5dd728/cloudflare-static/email-decode.min.js"></script></body>
</html>

View on FederalRegister.gov →Plain-text source

Indexed from Federal Register on July 1, 2021.

This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.