NIDABrainPower (2) - Privacy Statement 12-24-08

DATE: December 24, 2008

TO: Cathrine Sasek, Ph.D., Project Officer

Health Science Administrator

Office of Science Policy

Office of Science Policy & Communications, NIDA

FROM: NIH Privacy Act Officer

SUBJECT: Applicability of the Privacy Act: Brain Power! The NIDA Junior Scientist Program

I have reviewed the NIDA submission to OMB entitled “Brain Power! The NIDA Junior Scientist Program and the Companion Program, Brain Power! Challenge (BP)” and have determined that the Privacy Act will not apply to this data collection.

Although the database in which student, teacher and parent data will be entered will contain no identifying data, the database is designed to retrieve data by an identification number linked to the study participants. Additionally, questionnaires and surveys bearing the identities of the participants, demographic and background information as well as personal assessments, will be stored in locked file cabinets at the contractor site and disclosed only to those with a valid, business-need to access the data.

The data collection is covered by NIH Privacy Act Systems of Record 09-25-0156, “Records of Participants in Programs and Respondents in Surveys Used to Evaluate Programs of the Public Health Service, HHS/PHS/NIH/OD”.

If you have any questions, please contact my office at (301) 496-2832.

Karen M. Plá

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