November 7, 2009
Healthy People 2020 Public Meeting
Office of Disease Prevention & Health Promotion
Philadelphia, PA

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will conduct public meetings on draft objectives for Healthy People 2020. The purpose of the meetings is to receive public comment on the draft Healthy People 2020 objectives and topic areas. HHS is also interested in receiving recommendations on strategies to make national health improvement progress across a range of diseases, conditions, behaviors and determinants of health.

November 12 - 13, 2009
Risk Communication Advisory Committee
Food and Drug Administration
Silver Spring, MD

The committee will discuss strategies and programs designed to communicate with the public about the risks and benefits of FDA-regulated products so as to facilitate optimal use of these products.

November 13, 2009
National Advisory Council for Healthcare Research and Quality
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Rockville, MD

The AHRQ director will present her update on current research, programs, and initiatives. The agenda will include a report from the subcommittee of Child Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA) Quality Provisions, and discussion of the Patient Safety and Medical Liability Reform Demonstration Project.

November 16 - 17, 2009
Council of Councils
National Institutes of Health
Bethesda, MD

Among the topics proposed for discussion are: updates on the Common Fund, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and NIH Roadmap initiatives; role of the Council.

November 17 - 18, 2009
Radiological Devices Panel of the Medical Devices Advisory Committee
Food and Drug Administration
Gaithersburg, MD

The committee will discuss and make recommendations regarding the agency's regulatory strategy for Full Field Digital Mammography (FFDM) Devices. The committee will discuss the public comments received in response to the publication of the draft guidance document entitled "Class II Special Controls Guidance Document: Full Field Digital Mammography System." The committee will also discuss and make recommendations regarding the agency's regulatory strategy for computer-assisted detection (CADe) devices for radiological devices. CADe devices are devices intended to identify, mark, highlight or in any other manner direct attention to potential abnormalities revealed in radiological data of the human body or imaging device data during interpretation of patient images or patient imaging data by a physician or other health care professional.

November 18, 2009
Meeting of the Medicare Evidence Development and Coverage Advisory Committee
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Baltimore, MD

During this meeting, the Committee will discuss the quality of evidence surrounding the diagnosis and treatment of secondary lymphedema. In the United States the most common form of secondary lymphedema is associated with the surgery and radiation of cancer treatment. We encourage the participation of appropriate organizations with expertise in the diagnosis and treatment of secondary lymphedema.

November 20, 2009
Healthy People 2020 Public Meeting
Office of Disease Prevention & Health Promotion
Seattle, WA

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will conduct public meetings on draft objectives for Healthy People 2020. The purpose of the meetings is to receive public comment on the draft Healthy People 2020 objectives and topic areas. HHS is also interested in receiving recommendations on strategies to make national health improvement progress across a range of diseases, conditions, behaviors and determinants of health.

December 1 - 2, 2009
National Cancer Advisory Board
National Cancer Institute
Bethesda, MD

The agenda includes program reports and presentations; business of the Board.

December 9, 2009
President’s Cancer Panel Meeting - U.S. Demographic and Cultural Transformation:Implications for the Cancer Enterprise
President's Cancer Panel
Wilmington, DE

Immigration, more than any other social/political/economic process, has shaped the U.S. over the last century. Minorities, now roughly one-third of the U.S. population, are expected to become the majority in 2042, with the nation projected to be 54 percent minority in 2050.  Questions addressed at this conference include: Does the clinical encounter differ across ethnic groups? To what extent do patients and providers contribute to health disparities? Are there beliefs (or stereotypes) held by providers about the behavior or health of ethnic sub-populations? Do patients from ethnic sub-populations experience, understand, and discuss illness differently than mainstream populations? Do patients from ethnic sub-populations have different help-seeking behavior?

December 11, 2009
Gastroenterology and Urology Devices Panel of the Medical Devices Advisory Committee
Food and Drug Administration
Gaithersburg, MD

The committee will discuss and make recommendations on the study designs and endpoints of clinical investigations intended to support approval or clearance of devices indicated for the primary treatment of localized prostate cancer.

December 15, 2009
Pediatric Oncology Subcommittee of the Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee
Food and Drug Administration
Gaithersburg, MD

The subcommittee will consider and discuss: (1) FDA expectations regarding the development of pediatric formulations for cancer drugs, and (2) the development of dosing regimens in infants and toddlers with cancer.

December 16, 2009
Nutrient Biomarkers Analytical Methodology: Vitamin D Workshop
Office of Dietary Supplements
Bethesda, MD

Given the uncertainties in vitamin D measurement, the NIH/ODS will host this one-day workshop to evaluate the state of analytical methods. The intent of the workshop is to develop strategies for resolving inconsistencies between results obtained following quantitative determination of selected nutrients in biological materials such as serum when different measurement techniques are used. The desired outcomes of this meeting are to identify strengths and weaknesses of analytical approaches available for the quantification of the nutritional biomarker of Vitamin D status, circulating 25(OH)D in biological samples and to discuss analytical methods, including criteria for selection of method(s); role of reference methods and samples; sample preparation and interpretation of results. The workshop will consist of a series of short, focused podium presentations interspersed with open discussion sessions on the currently available analytical methods and interpretation of findings. A final session will summarize the discussions, identify knowledge gaps, and suggest a research agenda for future studies.