World Trade Center Health Program Youth Research Cohort: STAC Meeting Notice and Call for Public Comments

The World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program is seeking feedback on best practices and methods for assembling and engaging a research cohort to allow the Program to conduct future research studies on the health and educational impacts in the population of persons aged 21 years or younger at the time of their WTC exposure.

Please share the following opportunities for public comments, feedback, and input with fellow 9/11 community members, interested colleagues, partner organizations, or others who may be interested: WTC Health Program STAC Meeting, June 21-22, 2023

• On May 26, 2023, NIOSH published a Federal Register Notice that includes details on the World Trade Center Health Program Scientific/Technical Advisory Committee (WTCHP–STAC) virtual meeting being conducted via Zoom on June 21, 2023, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. EDT, and on June 22, 2023, from 11 a.m. to 1:30p.m., EDT.
• The main focus of the STAC meeting will be a discussion of the new youth research cohort being established by the WTC Health Program. The meeting will include a presentation on establishing the cohort and the Program’s perspectives, as well as an overview of young survivors. In addition, the WTC Survivors Steering Committee will lead presentations on young survivors’ views and community-based participatory research. The meeting will also include a presentation and discussion about substantive amendments to the existing Policy and Procedures for Adding Non-Cancer Health Conditions to the List of WTC-Related Health Conditions. For additional information, including the meeting agenda, visit https://www.cdc.gov/wtc/stac_meeting.html.
• For information on how to provide written or oral comments, please review the STAC meeting Federal Register Notice . Written public comments must be received by June 22, 2023. Members of the public who wish to address the WTCHP-STAC during the oral public comment session must sign up to speak by June 14, 2023. Five-minute oral public comment slots are on a first come basis with limited availability.

You can follow the STAC meeting proceedings via live webcast . No registration is required.

World Trade Center Health Program: Youth Research Cohort; Request for Information

• On April 26, 2023, NIOSH published the Federal Register Notice (FRN), World Trade Center Health Program: Youth Research Cohort; Request for Information , to solicit feedback on the preferred approach for establishing a youth research cohort from any interested party including, but not limited to educators, researchers, clinicians, community members, WTC Health Program members, treatment providers, and government agencies at all levels (Federal, State, Territorial, local, and Tribal). Comments in response to the FRN must be received by August 24, 2023.
• In addition, NIOSH has notified contractors through a Request for Information on this topic.  Through this RFI, the WTC Health Program is seeking input on best practices and methods for assembling and engaging a cohort of individuals with sufficient representation of this population of 9/11-impacted youth. The deadline for responses to the RFI is September 5, 2023.